So it's been a while since I've vented anything onto here, but I'm sorry to say that I'm back. It's not even a fresh thought, but I just wanted to do anything else but study for exams (even my games are getting boring).
Something I've noticed is that movies and social media in general over-emphasize the impact of peer pressure in high school--at least, where it is present, it's very subtle and not nearly as dramatic as Mean Girls makes it out to be. One particularly odd place I've noticed the effect of peer pressure is at traffic lights, especially when there are lots of people there (e.g. crossings near a university).
Scenario: A large group of students who just got off the bus want to cross North/South.
-The red-orange hand is up, but there are no cars traveling West/East.
From my personal interpretation of my observations in these situations, I have identified 3 main groups:
1. A few individuals boldly cross after seeing the path is clear: I think of them as the rebels or bolder trendsetters.
2. Others stubbornly stand their ground. After all, the red hand = stop. No but's about the rules.
3. The final group of individuals are those who stood there all that time watching Group 1 cross, unsure of whether they should do the same or not. To "break the traffic rules" or not? Finally, after a brief inner struggle with the pressure enforced upon them by their Group 1 peers, they decide to cross.
Ironically, most of the time, the West/East traffic lights would have turned yellow by then (i.e. the white man will appear soon, and those patient and strong-willed enough to stand their ground will be able to cross shortly as well).
NOTE: In the absence of Group 1 individuals, Group 2 and 3 members are indifferentiable.
I enjoy watching Group 3 struggle with this minor barrage of peer pressure. Gives me something to do during those long, uncooperative lights.
P.S. The results of this study may not apply to those ridiculously long lights in residential areas because sometimes those are just ridiculous. In those cases, late crossers may be a result of impatience. After all, none of us are getting any younger.
