Wanting to be accepted by peers is a natural part of children’s social development. Yet kids can be overly influenced by what “friends” think of them or urge them to do. Through simple language and engaging illustrations, this book explains the concept of peer pressure. It encourages a solid sense of self-identity—or “elf-identity”—and teaches kids how to say “No.”

This must-have volume explores the issues surrounding peer pressure. It presents diversity of opinion on the topic, including both conservative and liberal points of view in an even balance. The sequences of essays guides readers through topics such as brain development, eating and exercise, popularity, parents, individuality, drugs and alcohol, and teacher influence in relation to peer pressure. Do sturdier brain networks help children resist peer pressure? Can organized activities deter negative peer pressure? Readers find answers to questions like these in this guidebook.

Norbert feels the full weight of unwanted peer pressure when his friends scream at him to go along with the class. Can he resist and make the choice he should?

"From New York Times bestselling author and economics columnist Robert Frank, a revelatory look at the power and potential of social context. As psychologists have long understood, social environments profoundly shape our behavior, sometimes for the better, but often for the worse. Less widely noted is that social influence is a two-way street: Our environments are in large part themselves a product of the choices we make. Society embraces regulations that limit physical harm to others, as when smoking restrictions are defended as protecting bystanders from secondhand smoke. But we have been slower to endorse parallel steps that discourage harmful social environments, as when regulators fail to note that the far greater harm caused when someone becomes a smoker is to make others more likely to smoke. In Under the Influence, Robert Frank attributes this regulatory asymmetry to the laudable belief that individuals should accept responsibility for their own behavior. Yet that belief, he argues, is fully compatible with public policies that encourage supportive social environments. Most parents hope, for example, that their children won't grow up to become smokers, bullies, tax cheats, sexual predators, or problem drinkers. But each of these hopes is less likely to be realized whenever such behaviors become more common. Such injuries are hard to measure, Frank acknowledges, but that's no reason for policymakers to ignore them. The good news is that a variety of simple policy measures could foster more supportive social environments without ushering in the dreaded nanny state or demanding painful sacrifices from anyone"--

Now and then, we hear about everyday heroes riding to the rescue when they see someone suffering or being harassed. But most bystanders don't intervene. Catherine Sanderson turns to cutting-edge research in social psychology and neuroscience to explain why we so often fail to act and offers practical strategies to nudge us into being brave.

Friends are so important to today's tweens, and the good news is that friendship matters to God, too! Now youth workers can teach junior high kids how to have healthy relationships based on respect and acceptance, in ways that make sense for their lives. With David and Jonathan as models of a good friendship, and insights into the peer pressures weathered by Joseph and Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego, younger teens will learn how to build strong friendships and how to resist temptation by applying Scripture and understanding their identity in Christ. UNCOMMON puts it all together for youth leaders, with video teaching clips and reproducible handouts included on the DVD. Friendship has never been so easy!

In Resisting Peer Pressure for Teens, young writers show that it’s possible to stand up to the pressure they may feel from friends and some family members to be "cool." Inspire teen and preteen readers to take responsibility for and make wiser decisions about their lives with the essays in this book—each written by a teenager. Within these pages, Jamel A. Salter, Fan Yi Mok, and Charlene George, and many others, describe how and why they chose to keep it real and fight back against the pressure they felt from friends to use drugs and alcohol; have sex too early; lie, cheat, and steal; and skip or act out in school. Essays include: My Secret Love Losing My Friends to Weed Why Do So Many Teens Cheat? Can't Afford to Follow Hiding My Talent No More Why I Speak My Mind Sex Doesn't Make You a Man My So-Called Friends Making Me Dance Peer Pressure Ended Our Relationship I Want to Be Pretty and Popular The Trouble with Being a Virgin Thinking for Myself and more! Through these essays, teen readers will pick up new ways to say no and advice that will help them stay true to themselves, while parents, teachers, and caregivers will be provided a much-needed glimpse into how the world looks to our younger generations.