Tag Archives: Adolescence

The 8th Deadly Sin, Peer Pressure

Posted in Peer Pressure by

A few weeks back I saw a tweet posted by a teen and it said “the 8th deadly sin, peer pressure.”  I was intrigued by the concept so I hit “reply” and asked him if I could write a blog on the topic of peer pressure today as a deadly sin. He agreed.

We all know the story from the Bible, which created a classification of vices told to early Christians as a way to educate them about  sin.  The 7 deadly sins are: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride. However, nowhere in the story does it mention peer pressure of any kind. Or others forcing their opinions or actions on you in a negative and detrimental manner.  The vices are all related to excessive internal wants or desires, but why doesn’t peer pressure make the list?  It’s just as damaging and can lead to very destructive behaviors. Daily, I talk with teens where peer pressure is the number 1 issue they want to discuss.  In their words “it’s everywhere” and it seems to occur constantly.  I can honestly say that I have never had a conversation with a teen who was concerned about wrath, but peer pressure–yes!  Peer pressure is so ugly and harmful to our well-being. I’m sometimes concerned that if we hear the word “peer pressure” too often in the news or media that we will become desensitized to its meaning and impact.  Trust me, peer pressure is alive and well and can be just as deadly.

My Journey Writing a Book Called “Girl Talk.”

Posted in Girl Talk: Boys, Bullies and Body Image by
Hi Everyone, This section of the blog will be dedicated to the progress I make on my book “Girl Talk.” It may at times read like a “Dear Diary” as I share with you all some of the highlights from my interviews with the teen girls I meet and share with you some of their thoughts and feelings as they relate to self-esteem. I am so fortunate to be working with many high schools and teens in San Francisco on my research for this book. Every school culture is different. So as you can imagine, so are the thoughts and feelings of the girls that I interview. I hope for this book to be about their journey through high school and many of the obstacles, and in some cases difficult challenges that they face as teens.

TeenScreen- A New Tool in Teen Suicide Prevention

Posted in General Health, Self-Esteem by

Teen suicide is a serious matter.  We are bombarded in the news lately with stories and video of  teen bullying (cyber and other) as well as other forms of teen harassment.  Teens are feeling overwhelmed more than ever and I don’t blame them. It’s seems the stakes are getting higher as we are see an increase of teen suicides.  Many articles have told us that teens don’t tell their parents about the bullying that occurs (via Facebook, text, blogs, etc.) because they fear that their parents will take away their electronic devices such as phones and computers.  Clearly, the message that teens should talk to their parents about these issues isn’t fully solving the problem. We need other tools/options as well.

Teens need to be aware that other sources of information, help and support are out there.  Last weekend,  I went to a fund-raiser for Family Services of Marin and learned of a new tool in the prevention of teen suicide.  It’s called “TeenScreen” and was developed by Columbia University.  It’s the first screening of its kind that seems to identity the warning signals as all stage of distress, gives practical feedback/advice and has reduced teen suicide rates.  By administering this simple screening to teens, they can identify those on the “check list” as being in danger. Teens who have been given the screening were surprised to see just how accurate the readings were and some teens didn’t even realize that the issues they struggle with on a daily basis were “not common” and could lead to negative behaviours.  This is an amazing tool that’s inexpensive, practical and can easily be implemented by schools.

To learn more, go to:

TeenScreen National Center for Mental Health Checkups | Teen Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.