Use the following role-playing exercise to explore and discuss peer pressure situations with your middle schooler. To view or download printouts of the scripts, please click here [PDF – 2.96 MB].

Role-Playing Exercise

Can your middle schooler figure out what kind of pressure is going on in each scene?

Give your middle schooler the script for this exercise and ask them to read aloud the scenes presenting peer pressure situations. After each one, ask your middle schooler to choose the form of peer pressure depicted:

(a) put downs;
(b) rejection;
(c) reasoning;
(d) unspoken pressure.

Scene 1

Two middle schoolers pretend to be at a skatepark, watching others do tricks.

Middle Schooler 1: You’ve gotta try that – it’s such a rush.

Middle Schooler 2: No thanks, I really don’t know what I’m doing.

Middle Schooler 1: Come on, just try it.

Middle Schooler 2: Hummmm....

[Correct answer: reasoning. Reasoning means telling a person reasons why they should try something.]

Scene 2

There are three middle schoolers in this scene. Middle schoolers 1 and 2 appear to be friends. Middle schooler 3 is sitting to one side, reading a book.

Middle Schooler 1 to Middle Schooler 3: “Hey, come drink with us.”

Middle Schooler 2 to Middle Schooler 3: “Yeah, it’ll be more fun than sitting in the library. Don’t be boring, just sitting here reading that book.”

Parent/Caregiver/Teacher: What kind of pressure is this? The choices are:

(a) put downs;
(b) rejection;
(c) reasoning;
(d) unspoken pressure.

[Correct answer: put downs. Put downs mean insulting or calling a person names to make them feel bad.]

Scene 3

A party scene with two middle schoolers. Middle schooler 1 pretends to hold a beer can out to Middle
schooler 2.

Middle Schooler 1: You’ll have way more fun.

Middle Schooler 2: I’m not sure.

Middle Schooler 1: Come on, it won’t kill you.

Middle Schooler 2: Yeah, it probably won’t kill me, but my parents might.

Parent/Caregiver/Teacher: What kind of pressure is happening here?

(a) put downs;
(b) rejection;
(c) reasoning;
(d) unspoken pressure.

[Correct answer: reasoning. Reasoning is telling a person reasons why they should try something or why it
would be OK if they did.]

Scene 4

Two students sit at desks in a classroom, taking a quiz.

Student 1: Let me copy, or I won’t be your friend anymore.

Student 2: I want to be your friend, but not if I have to cheat.

Parent/Caregiver/Teacher: What kind of pressure is happening here?

(a) put downs;
(b) rejection;
(c) reasoning;
(d) unspoken pressure.

[Correct answer: rejection. Rejection is threatening to end a friendship or relationship. This pressure can be hard to resist because nobody wants to lose friends.]

Scene 5

A cafeteria line with four students. Three of the students have already chosen salads for their lunches. The other student looks at a line for burgers and fries, starts to walk toward that line, then looks at the students with their salads. Finally, the student chooses the salad.

Parent/Caregiver/Teacher: What kind of pressure is happening here?

(a) put downs;
(b) rejection;
(c) reasoning;
(d) unspoken pressure.

[Correct answer: unspoken pressure. Unspoken pressure is something you feel without anyone saying anything to you. You feel unspoken pressure if you want to do the same things you see others doing.]

Now that your middle schooler knows about the different kinds of peer pressure, the next step is learning what to do when they face it. In the section titled “The Right to Resist,” they can learn how to beat peer pressure no matter what form it takes!