For all that has been said bad about it, peer pressure does have some good things about it. It gives you a baseline to look at, that is, you can see what is expected of you and base your reactions off that. At a time when everything is changing around you, peer pressure acts as an anchor, showing you how others have dealt with the same or similar problems. Although it does have its issues, it does make life easier when you have no idea what to do; you just look at how others have dealt with things and react accordingly. Just going with where it leads makes decision-making so much easier, and so it becomes easy to rely on.
The problem is when someone figures out how to use it for, well, not quite evil purposes but it may as well be. In this sense peer pressure can be used for good or evil; it can be used to get everyone on the same page and working in the same direction. This is great for any number of purposes, especially when it comes to allowing a group to get along or when you need a large number of people to do something that they wouldn't otherwise with as little thinking as possible.
The best example of this is when there is an emergency: Everyone knows their part and can quickly divide into groups as needed in order to quickly deal with the problem. Those groups can quickly organize and get going with what they need to do, usually with little encouragement. People seem to flow to where they are needed, and loners staying out of the way or contributing in ways that allow them to stay away from others. In the case of a natural disaster, this means that people will make sure that the injured are taken care of, the survivors are defended, and that rebuilding begins. It also means that there is salvage going for materials, food, and water, as well as search and rescue teams. What's interesting is how quickly things get organized and done.
You're going to be looking for some sort of anchor in the storms to come. Peer pressure is going to be seen as that anchor, as well as a way to attain some sort of normalization. It can help keep you sane, and sometimes that's a great thing in and of itself. Just remember that like an anchor it can drag you under, so you need to know when to untie yourself. Otherwise, peer pressure if used correctly is something that can actually make your life a little easier.
The problem is when someone figures out how to use it for, well, not quite evil purposes but it may as well be. In this sense peer pressure can be used for good or evil; it can be used to get everyone on the same page and working in the same direction. This is great for any number of purposes, especially when it comes to allowing a group to get along or when you need a large number of people to do something that they wouldn't otherwise with as little thinking as possible.
The best example of this is when there is an emergency: Everyone knows their part and can quickly divide into groups as needed in order to quickly deal with the problem. Those groups can quickly organize and get going with what they need to do, usually with little encouragement. People seem to flow to where they are needed, and loners staying out of the way or contributing in ways that allow them to stay away from others. In the case of a natural disaster, this means that people will make sure that the injured are taken care of, the survivors are defended, and that rebuilding begins. It also means that there is salvage going for materials, food, and water, as well as search and rescue teams. What's interesting is how quickly things get organized and done.
You're going to be looking for some sort of anchor in the storms to come. Peer pressure is going to be seen as that anchor, as well as a way to attain some sort of normalization. It can help keep you sane, and sometimes that's a great thing in and of itself. Just remember that like an anchor it can drag you under, so you need to know when to untie yourself. Otherwise, peer pressure if used correctly is something that can actually make your life a little easier.
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