It is in adolescence, however, that it can cause the greatest harm. At 13 or 14 we reach adulthood; but in a hormonal sense only. Put plainly, we can make a baby and pass on our genes. And if that were to happen, we would have no clue as to what to do next! At such a young age, the brain is still developing, especially the frontal cortex which among other things is responsible for planning, judgment, and control. Yet, as an “adult,” the adolescent stops consulting his parents, instead he turns to his peers for advice. They understand him, but even more important, he needs to belong to a group. If the group rejects him, panic sets in; he needs to get back in their good graces at any cost. There are two questions here: Why is it so critical to belong to a group? Who sets the tone in the group? In other words, who is the leader(s) and what qualifications does that person have? The last part is easy to answer: no leadership qualifications whatsoever! He cannot make simple decisions about his own self, let alone a whole group! I will discuss the leadership aspects in my next section. But for now let me turn to peer pressure.

Evolutionary psychology concerns itself with relating old instincts going back to primitive humans to our behavior as modern people. It helps us understand why we act the way we do, and with understanding we can effect changes. For example, why do modern women look for a (physically) strong man? In primitive times her mate had to be strong to protect her and protect their children. In the modern world this is no longer necessary; but old instincts still persists.

I said that with understanding we can effect changes. When we understood that agriculture can replace gathering, we largely stopped doing so. Future generations of women, armed with the knowledge provided by evolutionary psychology, will use different criteria to select a suitable mate.

Some evolutionary psychologists explain peer pressure as follows:

Imagine, in primitive times, being a member of a clan and finding yourself at odds with the actions of the other members. What do you do? Do you do things your way and ignore the wishes of the other members? This would be a dangerous course of action for you risk being expelled from the clan. And if this were to happen, without the protection of the group, you’re as good as dead! Needless to say, the very thought of being abandoned is very scary, and you will quickly fall into line. Modern adolescents respond to the same instinct despite the fact that being abandoned in a primitive environment no longer exists. But old instincts continue to exercise their power; and that is what makes peer pressure such a strong and harmful force.

So what can we do about it? Education is the answer. Explain to young people why they act the way they do. Don’t wait for the teen years, by then it’s too late. Start at the age of 8 and expand the knowledge as the child grows up. There is a need to be persistent; there will be a lot of false starts at the beginning. However, in time we will find the right formula. And we will one day have a generation that fully understands why they act the way they do and what they can do about it.

It will be naive to assume that peer pressure will completely disappear. It won’t. The goal here is to greatly reduce its nefarious effects.

Two mysterious events took place. First, after the typhoid, I was left with myopia! Second, the class was now divided into two groups which were at “war” with each other! One group was “led” by one leader, whereas the other group was led by a triumvirate (a group of three in authority). Because of my myopia, I had difficulty seeing the blackboard. Therefore, I had to request the help of the kid next to me. It also meant that I had to belong to his group, more so since he was one of the members of the triumvirate!

The good news was that I did not have to repeat the year. As well, by the next grade, the two groups disbanded. There was again peace in the land!

A number of questions come to mind here. Why did the class divided into two groups? Those were, for the most part, well-brought up kids, they were not delinquent children looking for trouble. They were also very young. Why one leader for one group and three for the other? The single leader was a slight kid, but very intelligent. Two members of the triumvirate were very strong, but not particularly bright; the third (the one sitting next to me) was strong and smart. Why did the groups disbanded? Was it just a phase?

Can we learn anything here? The teachers were aware of what was going on. Therefore the adults were not completely out of the picture. If we study similar cases for different age groups can we discern a pattern, and perchance understand the nature of leadership at a young age? But why is this important?

Parents will often tell you that their children got in trouble because “they fell in with the wrong crowd.” Assuming that’s the case, who in this crowd was the leader? Who is the decision-maker who can influence his friends to, say, break the law? Perhaps there is more than one leader? If so, why? Also does gender plays a role? Are the qualifications of female leaders different than the ones for male leaders?

Lots of questions for which, to the best of my knowledge, we have no answers. (Indeed, I may very well be the first one to raise these questions.) And yet, it is so important to understand why young people – from 8 to 18 and beyond – accept a specific individual as their leader, and on occasion follow him or her blindly. We also need to understand why there is sometimes more than one leader. Is such a group trying to be more democratic or is it simply lacking a strong leader?

We have to a great extent studied the nature of leadership in the adult world. Doing the same for young people is more complex. A group of 10-year-old is very different from a group of 12-year-old and again very different from a group of 15-year-old. Finally, girls will be very different from boys.

Between the age of 7 to 18, we begin to understand the world around us. We gradually begin to put the pieces of the puzzle together and get a glimpse of the “final” picture. At 18 the final picture is vastly different than at 7. Indeed it is a moving target, we will live our lives and go to our graves still pursuing this picture. But it is the challenge of life, and we need to equip our young people so that their lives will be fulfilling rather than being a constant struggle against problems carried over from their younger years.

Social issues are never easy to study. However, I believe that it is imperative that we understand the nature of leadership among the young and the dynamics existing within their groups at the different stages in their lives.