| Peer pressure occurs when a group of people or just | | | | self-esteem. Feelings of low self-worth, guilt and |
| one person can make an individual feel uncomfortable, | | | | unattractiveness may develop that may prompt the |
| leading them to make decisions that they may not | | | | individual to diet in order to please the people around |
| otherwise decide to make if they did not have | | | | them, as well as themselves. |
| influences in their life. This can affect the way a | | | | 2) Depression |
| person thinks, dresses, looks, speaks or eats. The | | | | Peer pressure to diet and make drastic lifestyle |
| person who gives in and decides to change their | | | | changes, a person may feel depressed because of |
| lifestyle usually feels that they must conform to other | | | | their failed attempts to lose weight or that they are not |
| attitudes or behaviors to feel part of the norm. | | | | up to the standards of those they are surrounded by. |
| When peer pressure involves the way a person eats, | | | | 3) Anorexia |
| this can result in drastic consequences. When a | | | | Anorexia nervosa deals with the strong fear of being |
| person feels an intense urge to change their eating | | | | or becoming fat. People who practice this lifestyle wish |
| habits to fit it, they may develop habits that can turn a | | | | to maintain an emaciated body weight. There are |
| healthy body into a poor bill of health. This is seen | | | | about 50% of anorexia nervosa patients who engage |
| when individuals attempt to diet in order to fit into an | | | | in self-induced vomiting and/or the abuse of laxatives. |
| image that they have dubbed as ideal. Many people | | | | 4) Bulimia |
| associate peer pressure with teens, but adults often | | | | When a person suffers from bulimia nervosa, they |
| face the same obstacles when they come face to | | | | participate in reoccurring cycles of binge-eating. After |
| face with weight issues brought on upon their peers. | | | | binge-eating, they engage in some form of purging, |
| Peer pressure not only comes from family and friends, | | | | which includes such methods as vomiting, abusing |
| but can come in the form of other outside influences. | | | | laxatives and/or abusing diuretics. This is their attempt |
| For example, today's society pushes for a thinner | | | | to prevent weight gain. |
| world. People cannot escape the "in-their-face" | | | | 5) Poor Body Image |
| reminders of how attractive a thinner image appears | | | | If a person is feeling peer pressure to diet, whether or |
| to others. This is prominent every time you open up a | | | | not they are of healthy or unhealthy weight, may |
| magazine, revealing the latest models or watching your | | | | develop a poor body image of them. This can lead to |
| favorite sitcom and spotting the "hottest" television | | | | unhealthy practices when they attempt to diet. If |
| star. | | | | someone keeps hearing over and over again that they |
| Peer Pressure and Dieting Can Lead To | | | | need to diet, then they may feel that something is |
| 1) Low Self-Esteem | | | | wrong with their image and that what others say is the |
| When a person is constantly hearing about their weight | | | | truth. |
| from family and friends, it may result in low | | | | |