Peer pressure is the influence members of your peer group have on you and your actions. Who does the pressuring, and who gets pressured, can depend on a social hierarchy of teens. This status level is more prominent in groups, or cliques, of teen girls than in groups of teen boys. In her article “The Queen Bee and Her Court”, Rosalind Wiseman discusses these social statuses and their relationship with peer pressure.
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'The Negative Effects of Peer Pressure on Teenage Girls in The Queen Bee and Her Court, an Article by Rosalind Wiseman'
The Queen Bee is the highest person on the totem pole and she has the most power and influence over her peers. In her article, Wiseman says, “Through a combination of charisma, force, money, looks, will, and manipulation, this girl reigns supreme over the other girls…”(P. 346) She is in control of every situation. Out of all the members of the clique she is the most likely to pressure her friends and classmates into doing things they normally wouldn’t do. She is also the most successful at pressuring them because of her status and power.
Another role of power discussed in the article is the Banker. This individual does not stick with one group but rather wanders from one clique to another gathering information from different people. She likes to be the person who knows everyone’s secrets. This knowledge is where she tends to get her power.
Though these roles may insinuate that every role or situation that may involve peer pressure is negative, there can be positive effects from both. For example, you should not presume a girl in the position of Floater is a negative influence. This role is similar to Banker in that they both drift between groups, however, the Floater does not collect information for her own gain. She isn’t confined to one social standard and is generally friends with everyone, regardless of clique. Some positive repercussions of being a Floater are “Her peers like her for who she is as a person. She is less likely to sacrifice herself to gain and keep social status.” (Wiseman, P. 351)
Even the Queen Bee could have favorable outcome if she uses her influence in a constructive way. She can choose to either create conflict or unity with her peers. Instead of excluding people from her group, she could encourage her friends to include others. Also, if she regularly controls the decisions of the group as a whole, she could direct them to make good decisions rather than destructive ones.
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The overall effect a teen’s social status has on her daily life depends on the peers around her. Odds are if she sees positive decisions, she will follow that standard. The same applies to negative decisions. The people who have power are the ones who set the bar for the general behavior of their peers. As you are deciding where you stand on the social ladder, carefully consider your role and how you are influencing those around you.
