Societal Pressures and it's possible affect on depression
There are many reasons as to why depression sets in but Id like to focus on one specific reason and my hope is that by identifying it, we can see if this affects us in our own life.
Societal pressures – There are a lot of external factors that weigh us down in life. There is the pressure we get growing up as a child from our parents, teachers, and other roles of authority we encounter when we are young. Sometimes it can feel like we are always being told what and what not to do, which can be very overwhelming and we can be left with the question, what about me?
When we begin to get older we start to feel the pressure from our peers (our friends and others we coexist around). These pressures can include trying things we really have no desire to try or attempting to fit in with those around us (gender groups, cultural groups, etc). Some of us do well with this and look at it as a source of inspiration and motivation to become a better within certain aspects of our life but others can feel overwhelmed and burdened with the question, what about me?
And then comes adult life and whether it be advancing our education or entering the workforce, the external pressures can become even more amplified. Pressures to keep up marks in school in order to meet requirements to advance or keep scholarships. Pressures from the workforce like keeping up with a coworker or meeting the demands of your employer. What about me?
Something that intertwines with all of this is conformity and something that can make us all nervous is the fear of standing out and being different. But the reality of this is, you are different, you are unique, your passions are different and there really is no one else in this world quite like you; take pride in that!
So what about you?
What types of societal pressures do you notice in your own life?
What types of societal pressure do you find are the hardest to cope with? What are some that you find are easier?
Do you think that these pressures can be healthy and at what point do they do more harm than good?
Do you think that these pressures can become overwhelming and lead us into depression?
Are you afraid to stand out?
And here are some links that can help out if you want to know a bit more about this subject and how to break free of it.
Conformity - https://youtu.be/LiC0Gi0nK9g
Media Influence on women to be thin - https://youtu.be/9QHL6IwY0HA
Defining yourself in the midst societal pressures - https://youtu.be/rnObXu-DxgU
Be Yourself: Mantras to defy peer pressure - https://youtu.be/Ltkqvotr-aA
@ErikB
I can totally understand and relate. In today's world, competition is a really big thing which generally affects our mental health the most. Since childhood, children are expected to compete with their classmate and parents force their children to gain good marks but the thing they don't realise is that they are setting boundaries for the children and allowing him to doubt his abilities.
Secondly, the society's expectations for women are just to some other level. Still, many people are jealous of independent women and just want to dominate them.
I personally try to keep societal pressures away from my mind as they really affect your mental peace.
There is a lot of societal pressure in the place I live. Society expects a set of things from you, and if you fail, they don't blame you. They blame your parents. We try our best to save our parents from that, but we can't entirely avoid it. There's the pressure of people expecting you to do well in your career and get extraordinary grades just because your parents and siblings are extremely smart. There's the pressure of fitting in with their ideals and gender stereotypes. It's worse when you're a girl. The only thing you're expected to do when you grow up is get married and have kids. They don't even consider LGBTQ+ marriages in that. It puts a lot of pressure on the LGBTQ+ people, or atleast on me. I don't want to let my parents down or have people blame them for not raising me well. But doing the things that society wants me to do would never make me happy. And they don't care about whether you're happy or not. All they think is that every person has certain duties towards the society and they have to do that no matter what. Sometimes I just wish I could pack my bags and move to a different place. I'd say societal pressure is hard to cope up with when they expect you to do something you don't like. They do more harm when they interfere with your happiness, or make you feel unworthy just because you didn't live up to their standards. These pressures can cause depression, and standing out is hard when you face criticism, especially from people you care about.
What types of societal pressures do you notice in your own life? - i see the pressure to work yourself to death in the USA at least. if you have a gap on your resume that is a horrible thing. if you have mental illness haring that with literally anyone can have negative consequences. showing you are "weak" is bad, and mental illness is a "weakness" to society. then there's the expectations of society: graduate high school or college, get married, have kids, get the house, the dog, the wealth. you have to have all of these things or else... you're lacking. i graduated high school and college, before i was diagnosed, when i was healthy. that's it. i have none of the other things. in fact, i am poor and struggle to take care of myself. that makes me a failure in society's eyes.
What types of societal pressure do you find are the hardest to cope with? What are some that you find are easier? - hardest to cope with is "success." you have to have a certain level of success. and money. the world runs on money, so you need it. and the way the world is now, just to survive, you need a good deal of it and more if you want to even have a good quality apartment with luxuries like a dishwasher. easier to cope with are pressures to look a certain way, that triggers me too but i am able to avoid that stuff and i am not terrible looking so i don't struggle with that as much.
Do you think that these pressures can be healthy and at what point do they do more harm than good? - i think some pressure in life can be healthy, like having goals and wanting to accomplish certain things. but when it becomes overwhelming and oppressive, no. that's too much. and expectations society, family, friends, all have of me is too much.
Do you think that these pressures can become overwhelming and lead us into depression? - yes, they led me into depression, along with a traumatic experience i went through. it can cause my depressive episodes.
Are you afraid to stand out? - yes, because in today's world unfortunately, bullying is so bad it's an epidemic and cancerous. it invades all aspects of digital life and irl. judgement can be found virtually anywhere on your phone. it's... ridiculous and i want to be honest with the world and even just those around me with my diagnosis, but the judgement and lack of supportive responses is just not worth it?
@ErikB I completely agree to your views. I too faced a lot of societal pressures, when I underwent an accident and lost the ability to walk independently. This society made me to think I am a failure. more than that they judged me as a sinner, and my sins are the reason I got into the accident and lost my future. It did take a lot of time to digest, self-evaluate and stand out strong with positive attitude. This society will always keep on pressurizing you, whether you are good or bad. If you take in that pressure you will live according to their demands, if you stand out you can live your life. I decided to live my life, now I am good and I support all those who are undergoing situations like me. Initially i was afraid of my future, that fear is needed for all, as it helps us to modify our path for success. Societal pressures do make us think about our lives path, allow the thinking part alone, don't allow it to change your life.
I appreciate the efforts you've put into this post, it really helps gaining insight into my own situation as well as gathering more ideas for my listening journey here on 7cups.
What types of societal pressures do you notice in your own life?
Peer pressure, academic pressure, employment pressure, financial pressure
What types of societal pressure do you find are the hardest to cope with? What are some that you find are easier?
I guess the hardest one is peer pressure, when everybody's achievement becomes a burden on my shoulders. I find it's hard to catch up sometimes, feel like I'm left behind, while I myself don't really get joy, a sense of meaning and/or purpose in doing what others did to get those achievements. It's a conflict between societal values and my own values I guess.
I don't find anything is easier than the other. Every pressure is difficult in its own way. My family is still supporting me financially, which is a bless, but I gotta have a plan to stand on my own feet in the next couple of years.
Do you think that these pressures can be healthy and at what point do they do more harm than good?
I think pressure are there for us to grow. At certain points in life we all have to leave our cocoons to face the reality of life, to take on responsibilities and to contribute to the society.
And societal pressure is also unique in each society, and some societies are well-known globally for their societal demands like Japan and United States, in which people are expected to work longer hours to keep their jobs or to afford costly living expenses. In some cases, people work to basically meet the society's demands, to keep on existing but not actually living. They don't have time for themselves, to enjoy different aspects of life or to follow their own life purposes, which is harmful.
Do you think that these pressures can become overwhelming and lead us into depression?
Absolutely! In my opinion, life is more demanding to some compared to the others. And not all of us really has options, provided the responsibilities they have to bear and their resources.
Are you afraid to stand out?
I am not afraid to stand out. But being outstanding sometimes also means taking more pressure of 'going against the grain', and it takes a lot of mental stamina and patience, facing more uncertainty and changes until one can reach their goals.
