IELTS, TOEFL and PTE Academic Writing Task, the Essay
The Essay Question:
Young people are often influenced in their behaviour and attitude by other people in the same age group.
Do the disadvantages outweigh the advantages?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.
The Essay:
The impact of peer group on the outlook and behavioral aspect of youth, is quite common. While this influence has some positives, it also carries negative effects.
First, impact of others of the same age on young ones limits their originality, leading to herd instincts. Adolescents do not use their own mind to achieve their full potential and shine. They fail to use their judgement and do things, follow fashion trends, enroll in the same course, buy the same model of gadgets and so on, just to fit into their circle of friends.
Second, lack of employment is the result of a greater section of the young generation being impacted by their friends and companions in their behaviour and attitude. For instance, an engineering course is the most sought after program amongst the youth in India since a few years. This in turn has produced a surplus of engineers who are still seeking jobs or doing unrelated work.
Nonetheless, mirroring the behaviour and attitudes of their peer group, can bring accolades. Many young boys and girls, together take professional coaching in various domains, competing for medals at the national and international level, by copying their age group people. This has often proved beneficial, as the young realise that following a stream passionately, can bring name, fame and money, just as in the case of the Indian Tokyo Olympics Gold medalist Neeraj Chopra this year.
To conclude, I believe that the disadvantages are greater than the benefits of the young being affected in their approach and behaviour by others of their own age bracket. Although in few cases it motivates them to excel, yet more often than not, it limits their growth.