“The papers say 15 percent of youth are on meth... that’s bloody rubbish; try 60 percent.” These are the substance abuse rates according to a local paramedic I met this summer from my hometown of Wangaratta, Australia. Part of me had always known hard drug use was a problem for my community, but hearing an actual paramedic describe the prevalence of crystal methamphetamine abuse in Wangaratta put the sheer magnitude of the problem in perspective.
I was shocked. My initial response was simple: why do we suffer such high drug use? Why are our town’s young people so prevalently sucked into this corrupting sphere of mental and physical degeneration? But the answer I received was even simpler: “Each other. Everyone’s doing it, so everyone does it. Don’t underestimate peer pressure.”
Now I know what you’re thinking: “Crikey, that’s horrendous!” You may also be wondering what this has to do with the Princeton community. But that’s precisely the point. Princeton students are similarly subject to peer pressure, yet our experiences, and the nature of the pressure we face, starkly contrasts that of my peers at home. That may seem obvious. After all, we are not all chronically addicted meth users. More importantly, however, we Tigers appear to have hijacked the social force of peer pressure in pursuit of our mutual benefit.
Dinner is a great example. Imagine you’ve filled your plate absolutely full of chips, a hot dog, a slice of freshly fired pizza, along with a glass of soda. As you walk through the cafeteria to sit with your mates, you walk past the salad bar and notice the obnoxiously long line. Looking at their plates, you notice the strange green cow food they plan to eat. Suddenly, just like that, you feel a twinge of guilt. You become distinctly aware of the failings of your own culinary choices, the lack of discipline in your diet. Before you know it, you too fall into the terrible queue for lawn clippings, right behind the others. You observed the actions of an influential majority, and conformed to the status quo.
Although that specific scenario may not be familiar, I imagine that we have all, at one point, felt some pressure to eat healthily within such a fit and self-controlled community. Don’t you reckon that such a phenomenon is a little bit strange? At home, intense peer pressure resulted in hardcore drug abuse, but at Princeton it incentivizes us to eat our five servings of fruit and vegetables. Maybe it’s just a larger American trend (though stereotypes would suggest not), but I believe that Princeton is fairly unique in this regard.
Our unique experience of peer pressure appears to also affect our routines. “I’ve only had like seven hours of sleep since Monday, I’ve read so much,” a friend in HUM once proudly proclaimed. Proudly? Yes. Somehow we have created a culture where we not only aspire to work harder, but subconsciously hold each other to that aspiration as well. If I had responded that I actually slept nine hours, my academic resolve would suddenly come into question. No one would have said anything out loud, but I would automatically feel out of place. Peer pressure motivates Princetonians to work as much as it pushes us to eat well.
Exercising, diversifying our co-curricular base, being academically honest, getting involved in community service, setting our life goals high… the list of ways in which Princeton has utilized peer pressure to encourage positive effort and behavior is surprisingly extensive. I’m not saying we don’t experience negative peer pressure in other regards. These same forces can contribute to eating disorders, depression and a myriad of issues.
Rather, I aim to highlight our unique ability to manipulate peer pressure in many instances for positive uses. How have we, in contrast to Wangaratta, been able to avoid many of the dangers that peer pressure can bring? Maybe Admissions has a magic formula. I’m not going to dwell on ‘how’ it happens, but rather ask two potentially constructive questions.
Could peer pressure, or more aptly ‘peer encouragement,’ be used to motivate each other to be more socially perceptive? We participate in a constant effort to remove sexism, racism, homophobia and a myriad of social vices from our campus. Depending on your point of view you may find our efforts effective or abysmal. Regardless, it is worth considering the power of peer influence creating social standards of respect and equity.
I’m not suggesting we be ‘pressured’ into aligning our political interests with what’s politically correct at the time; a diversity of political opinion is important. Instead I’m asking why, in a community that uses peer influence to encourage healthy eating, ambition, GPA maintenance and so much else, we don’t strive to use that same force to encourage the social ideals we uphold as well.
The second question is whether, as a community that clearly has some positive control over peer pressure, we could exercise this control to reduce the negative pressure many no doubt experience; the pressure to drink, to hook up, to uphold an unrealistic body image, to pursue financial success, etc. A deliberate and collaborative effort to change may have profound effects.
Princeton is quirky in a lot of ways, exceptional in even more. Peer influence on this campus is certainly quirky and, under the right circumstance, has the potential to bring this place yet another step closer to perfect.
Sam Parsons is a freshman from Wangaratta, Australia. He can be reached at samueljp@princeton.edu.
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