Why do teens seem to deal with more peer pressure than any other age group?

Teens are not subject to more peer pressure than other age groups. It is a perception myth that has us believeing that teens deal with peer pressure in greater amounts than other groups. What is true of teens more than other groups is the that type of peer pressure they must deal with is often extremely hard to ignore. Since the teen years are a testing ground for the adults we will become, it is very common for the peer pressure faced by teens to encourage behavior that is generally seen as being anti-social or boundary testing. As teens we are finding our way, asserting our independence, and learning for ourselves what is right and what is wrong. Because of the naturally rebellious nature of the teen years the urge to do things just because "the establishment" or "the parents" say you shouldn't is very strong. In being rebellious teens are trying to carve out their own world view and their place within it; they are testing the limits and in doing so, they are testing themselves. Because of this, peer pressure can often lead teens astray. Teens want to assert themselves as able to make their own life decisions and this can cause them to do some extreme acting out; acting out that is often egged on by peer pressure. Because some of the actions that teen peer pressure can lead to are so against the accepted norm of society we tend to think that peer pressure is more prevalent in teen populations. It is not more prevalent, it just shows up in more challenging and unsettling ways.

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