Academic Pressures - Essay Example

First, 25 February Academic pressures create adverse psychological effects on abilities as well as behavior. Although academic pressures are meant to create a good competitive spirit and learning atmosphere for students, they cause substantial stress also. Stress is known to be a silent killer of the mental, physical, and psychological well-being of humans of all ages. Stress could begin in very early childhood years and continues into later years depending upon life’s situations.

Psychologists as well as academic professionals have identified that many students undergo immense stress even during schooling, which intensifies as the challenges increase with academic advancement. More often, teenagers and/or adolescents in high school and early college years are most prone to academic pressures because of the rapid shift in their curricula, studying atmosphere, competition as well as biological changes in the growth process. Academic pressures begin with stress caused by parental expectations, peer pressure, competition, strict timelines, difficult curricula, etc.

These factors are meant to induce learning, inculcate discipline and help students achieve their academic curricula within set timelines. On the other hand, all these or each of these stressors significantly impact students’ memory and thinking ability. As Hales stated, ‘because of stress’s impact on memory, students with advanced skills may perform worse under exam pressure than their less skilled peers’ (63). In general, academic pressures tend to crush the inherent abilities of teenage students.

Adolescents are highly prone to other stressors such as personal relationships, parental relationships, and financial conditions; all these stressful conditions along with academic pressures seriously impact their thinking and behavior. Academic pressures have a profound impact on students’ psychology. Students that are unable to cope with academic pressures tend to adopt unethical behavior such as academic dishonesty, cheating during examinations, cheating in assignments, indiscipline, etc.

Many researchers have identified that stress resulting from academic pressure has an adverse effect on academic performance and also causes students to get addicted to alcohol and substance abuse (Weiten et al, 79). In addition to stress, adolescents are excited to try new and risky behaviors, which further increase their chances of getting addicted to drinking and substance abuse. Another motivating factor for this addiction is that alcohol and drugs provide soothing and alleviating impact to their disturbed mental state.

The causative factors of academic pressures are two-fold, academic and non-academic. From an academic perspective, Whitley and Keith-Spiegel point out that academic pressures are caused by work overloads, improper explanation of the material, and cheating as a defense against others’ cheating (24). Nonacademic factors include lack of interest, parental and peer pressure because of tough academic competition, financial situation, relationships at home and outside, etc. All these factors adversely affect students’ ability to concentrate on academics and their ability to understand application of the education in practical life.

In conclusion, academic pressures caused by various internal and external factors surmount students’ inherent abilities and hinder their capacity to acquire life skills in a natural manner. Consequently, academic pressures are leading to undesirable psychological and behavioral problems, which further jeopardize youngsters’ mental and physical health.