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Practical Research I
“Turning Peer Pressure Inside and Out: A Qualitative Study on Building Teenagers’
Personality”
SUBMITTED BY: Charl Lance Cua
JustyneMinoza
Richard Glenn Diaz
Hubert Seth Correa
Bryan Bernardo
YEAR & SECTION: Grade 11-2 Altruism
SUBMITTED TO: Prof. Yolanda A. Bella
DATE SUBMITTED: March 7, 2017
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CHAPTER I: The Introduction
Introduction
As a teenager, we all experienced peer pressure. It is part of our human nature to
respond to it, whether to give in or to resist and stand our ground. No teenager does not
experience peer pressure because once you enter adolescence, opinion of other people
matter. You are more prone to the influence of the others and it is almost everywhere.
Peer pressure is define as the way that people of the same social group can influence on
another individual to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in
order to be accepted (Janette, 2012). Peer pressure changed me, my personality, behavior
and made me who I am today. Peer pressure can have a good or bad effect/s depending
on how you will handle it. And knowing how to handle peer pressure can mean so much
to one’s teenage life. In addition, we would like to know better how peer pressure works
and its effects to the teenager as a whole.
In Sta. Maria, Bulacan, there are many big and reputable schools and institutions
and one of them is Immaculate Concepcion Academy or simply ICA. ICA is rich in
school activities and is a very competitive school. It always participates in almost any
kind of competition. And many students are enrolled in this institution, from kinder to
senior high school.
Teens are very quick and accurate in making judgments and decisions on their
own especially in situations where they have time to think. However, when they have to
make decisions in the heat of the moment or in social situations, their decisions are often
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influenced by external factors like their peers. In a study funded by the National Institute
on Drug Abuse or NIDA, teen volunteers played a video driving game. One group
played alone and another with their friends watching. What the researchers discovered
was that the number of risks teens took in the driving game was more than double the
amount when their friends were watching as compared to when the teens played the game
alone. This outcome indicates that teens may find it more difficult to control impulsive
or risky behaviors when their friends are around, or in situations that are emotionally
charged. (http://www.scholastic.com/nida/nida/HeadsUp-Student-Yr6.pdf)
Being a teen in this modern day is so difficult and peer pressure can have
numerous maladaptive outcomes on teenagers. Studies have shown how peer pressure
alone can change one’s mind, from what they know is right to making the wrong
decision. Adolescents can adopt behaviors like changing the kind of clothes they wear or
forming negative attitudes to conform to what their peers are influencing them to have.
Youth can feel pressured to have sex earlier than the right age because of the influences
of their peers. Out-of-the-ordinary behavior can arise because of peer pressure. Physical
aggression, committing crimes, or joining gangs are possible outcomes of this possible
deviant behavior.
With the above-mentioned scenarios and situations, it is our main objective to
know the effects of peer pressure to teenager whether it is good or bad. We want to help
students on how to handle peer pressure for the sake of the development of their
personality. And it will help them deal with the real life that lies ahead. In addition, we
also want to know the common effects of peer pressure to one teenager to another
teenager, whether they are rich, poor, white, black, happy, sad, addict or not, sports
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player or e-games player, smart or happy-go-lucky students and so on. Therefore, peer
pressure can affect individuals of all ethnicities, genders, and ages. Thus, the research
findings on that objective will become the basis on how to handle and deal peer pressure,
especially in Senior High School students who has the biggest impact.
Statement of the Problem
This study aims to answer the following:
“What are the effects brought by peer pressure on teenagers in building their
personality?”

What is peer pressure?

Why is peer pressure an especially strong force in the life of a teenager?

What is something that people often get pressured into doing?

Why is peer pressure hard for teenagers to resist?

Who are vulnerable to peer pressure?
Scope and Delimitation of the Study
The study is limited to the effects brought by peer pressure on teenagers in
building their personality. We focused on the senior high school students of Immaculate
Concepcion Academy or ICA. The included participants are from different sections of the
senior high school and different type of students. Three (3) senior high school students
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from six (6) sections are chosen to be the respondents of our research or eighteen (18)
respondents to sum it up.
Another conducted study was on how peers acceptance and rejection affects an
adolescent’s psychopathology. It is supported that during the transition from childhood to
adolescence, peer relations become more influential and attractive than relationships with
adults. “After school, adolescents spend twice as much time with peers than parents and
they rely less on their parents and family for problem solving” (Agnew, 2003, as cited in
Sentse, Lindenberg, Omvlee, Ormel, Veenstra, 2009, p.120). It is assumed that
relationships with peers are less controlling and less judgmental compared to
relationships with adults. Even though it is a common belief that peer relationships are
less controlling than adult relationships, it should be mentioned that, “Peers can have
both positive and negative influences on a variety of adolescent outcomes. Research has
shown that peers can influence maladaptive outcomes, such as antisocial behavior
(Patterson et al. 1998, as cited in Sentse, 2009, p. 120). Although it is mentioned that peer
relationships can be harmful to adolescents, it is also mentioned how beneficial they
could be. “Positive peer influences have been found as well. Social support from friends
for example, can enhance a child’s self-esteem and academic achievement (Cohen &
Wills, 1985 as cited in Sentse, 2009, p. 120).
A validated questionnaire-checklist serves as the main instrument of the study. A
follow-up interview was also used primarily to clarify vague answers, and documentary
analysis was employed to answer the specific questions raised in the proposal.
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Significance of the Study
The results or findings of the study may provide deeper understanding on how
much an influence of an individual or group can affect and mean so much in the decisionmaking and development of individual’s personality. The study will determine the
significant effect of peer pressure in developing a teenager’s personality.
To the students, the results may serve as an inspiration. It can help them deal with
peer pressure and do not let it feeds on them. They can choose on how peer pressure will
affect them. It may help students understand what peer pressure really is, how it works,
and how it means so much to a teenager’s life and to their decision-making. In addition, it
may serve as an inspiration for the students to turn all the effects of peer pressure into a
good one, and live their lives to the fullest without worrying about the bad outcomes of
the peer pressure on them.
To the parents, this research study may serve as a tool in guiding their children
and understanding them deeply. It may also serve as a way to help them help their
children who are going through stress brought by peer pressure. It will help them love
their children more than ever.
To the administrator, the results of the study may serve as a guideline to fully
understand their students and help develop and nurture their personality and behavior. It
can be an instrument in producing well-performing students that can represent the school
in different aspects and different places, students that the school will be very proud of.
To the teachers, the results of the study may help them understand their students
more and may be able to help them go through stress and depression brought by peer
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pressure. Through this study, the teachers may be able to understand and identify why
some students are performing poorly in class and help them get back on their feet. It can
help improve student’s performance which can also give positive feedback for the
teachers.
Definition of Terms

Peer Pressure- According to Wikipedia, Peer pressure (or social pressure) is direct
influence on people by peers, or an individual who gets encouraged to follow their
peers by changing their attitudes, values, or behaviors to conform to those of the
influencing group or individual. This type of pressure differs from general social
pressure because it causes an individual to change in response to a feeling of
being pressured or influenced from a peer or peer group. Social groups affected
include both membership groups, in which individuals are "formally" members
(such as political parties and trade unions), and cliques in which membership is
not clearly defined. However, a person does not need to be a member or be
seeking membership of a group to be affectedby peer pressure.
-In this study, peer pressure is define as a problem that we will try to solve
and investigate its effects on teenagers in developing their personality.

NIDA- National Institute on Drug Abuse
-
In this study, National Institute on Drug Abuse or NIDA
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Abstract
Our research team had figured out the effects brought by peer pressure in
developing the personalities of the senior high school students in ICA. In addition, we
determined and examined the nature of peer pressure and its effects to the senior high
school students. We asked and interviewed eighteen (18) senior high school students
from six (6) different sections in the senior high school department of ICA. We
conducted a research about peer pressure because we wanted to understand how peer
pressure works and what effects are brought by peer pressure in developing one’s
personality. We tried to answer our statement of the problem, which is “What are the
effects brought by peer pressure on teenagers in building their personality?”
We picked different kinds of senior high school students. There are smart, not so
smart, rich, poor, white, black, male, female, gay and lesbian respondents. We conducted
a one-on-one interview and asked them our sub-problems that will help us get the answer
to our question. And the results are not shocking. They said that friends are a big factor
on who they are in the present. The influence brought by their friend/s made who they are
and not all of them have a good effect. We discovered their story about the peer pressure
they are experiencing and formulated a conclusion on how to handle such a phenomenon
or stress. It implied that peer pressure is a normal thing to everyone’s life. May it be on
young, middle age or old people, the effects of peer pressure depend on how you take it
and handle it. If a person will take it as a good thing, even with your peers’ bad influence,
the outcomes will be good. No one should let peer pressure take over your life and feeds
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on you. You should take over and turn it as a stepping-stone in developing and nurturing
your personality for the betterment of your life.