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Teens today feel overwhelming pressure to succeed

March 12, 2010
eMax Health
Pressure to succeed may override teens' sense of right and wrong, says Pope
By 
Denise Reynolds RD

Entering into the teen years is one of the most stressful times of life. The adolescent years are filled with emotions

, changes, and added responsibilities. Many teenagers today feel an overwhelming pressure to succeed, according to the Teen Ethics Poll, and more than one in ten think they must cheat to achieve success.

The poll of 787 teens between the ages of 13 and 18 conducted in 2006 found that 44% of teens say they feel strong pressure to succeed and the pressure is felt more often by girls than boys. Eight in ten students feel that success is important, no matter what the cost and that it does not improve once someone gets out of school and into the workforce.

Unfortunately, that pressure to succeed leads to dishonesty and unethical behaviors, such as cheating on tests, plagiarizing, stealing, or behaving violently toward another person. Nearly four in 10 teens who responded to the poll feel that there are times that felt this pressure, although thankfully, the vast majority knew that it was ethically unacceptable and only 185 admitted to succumbing to the pressure and cheating on a test...View article here

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