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 alcoholfor adolescents. It is argued that ‘peer group pressure’is an inadequate explanation for youthful alcohol use and thatinterventions formulated around the inculcation of resistanceto peer group norms must inevitably be at variance with theeveryday experience of those at whom such interventions areaimed. The paper argues that a reformulation of the conceptof ‘peer group pressure’ opens up its positive featuresand that these offer a strong base for a new range of educationalinitiatives.