Resistance to peer group pressure: an inadequate basis for alcohol education

saper explores the notion of ‘peer group pressure’ as it has been deployed in educational interventions on alcohol for adolescents. It is argued that ‘peer group pressure’ is an inadequate explanation for youthful alcohol use and that interventions formulated around the inculcation of resistance to peer group norms must inevitably be at variance with the everyday experience of those at whom such interventions are aimed. The paper argues that a reformulation of the concept of ‘peer group pressure’ opens up its positive features and that these offer a strong base for a new range of educational initiatives.