Attitudes 7the student population is nothing when compared to the homo
geneous nature of the teaching staff. Historically, teaching has
been a profession of “first entry,” that is, many teachers are
among the first of their family to graduate from college—most
of them coming from lower middle class backgrounds. The
“best” and the “brightest” who graduate from America’s most
prestigious colleges have not been attracted to the traditionally
low-paying occupation of public school teacher. Thus, the
attitudes most public school teachers transmit by example, by
inference, by virtue of their own commitment, are the values of
the broad middle class.
Peer influence on individuals affects everyone to varying
degrees. Adolescents are generally conceded to be the most
affected by peer pressure. Aristotle says that adolescence is an
age of extremes. As one develops into a social being, when
puberty and the recognition of sexual awareness come upon
young people, the desire and need for acceptance is great. Life
is an all or nothing event. Therefore, peer acceptance which is
important to everyone, is terribly important to teenagers.
Young people tend to travel in groups, and want to have many
friends. They ape their peers in style of dress, language, and most
importantly, attitudes. A strong personality attracts and influ
ences others in the group, and teenage groups tend to have
unelected natural leaders. Often leaders tend to be members
from outside the group and the object of adulation by the
members of the group. Rock group stars, celebrities, sports
heroes, all guide the thinking of large groups of people.
At times the pressure from peers causes people to violate
values that they hold. Often a normal consequence of such
behavior is a change in the attitude towards the value involved.
No one wants to consider himself evil or wrong. We all tend to
want to act in conformity with our beliefs and values. We don’t
want to act contrary to what we hold to be “good.” So, when
pressured into acting for peer approval we not only act, but begin
the process of changing our values, and our attitude towards the
value and like values.
Peer pressure affects all people of all ages— we all want to be
liked. But the critical age for peer pressure and its importance in
the development of values is adolescence. The complexity of the
problems faced by those who are no longer children, yet not quite