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Essay Subject: Examines this euphemism for drinking & drugging as sign of college students' psychological state & needs.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines this euphemism for drinking & drugging as sign of college students' psychological state & needs. Paper Introduction: This paper will be concerned with the euphemism "partying" as used by college undergraduates. As a general rule, the word "party" is a noun referring either to a social gathering or a political organization. The verb "partying" is also listed in the dictionary as an American variation of the word. As such, it simply refers to the act of engaging in a social gathering. However, when used by a group of college undergraduates, "partying" has special connotations which are not found in the normal use of the word. Specifically, it implies getting drunk and behaving in a rowdy fashion. In some cases, it can also imply the use of recreational drugs. When used by college students, "partying" is a euphemism because it sounds less offensive than "getting drunk" or "getting stoned." In fact, the term "partying" sounds like it is referring to good, clean fun. As this paper will show, the Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Because of these factors, the influence of peer pressure is importantin helping to explain the phenomenon of "partying." It is commonly knownamong professional psychologists that drinking and the use of drugs arestrongly influenced by the fear of peer rejection. Yet another factor is involved inthe transition which occurs when a young adult begins attending college.This is the factor of meeting new friends and being exposed to new socialsettings. As such, they need to learn to adjust tothe new responsibilities which come with adulthood. Furthermore, as Eble(1989) notes, slang terms like "partying" enable college students to relateto one another without revealing too much about themselves. There have even been cases of suicide among students who wereunable to deal with the strains of college. Thus, collegeundergraduates may feel the need to become intoxicated together because ithelps them to collectively overcome the feelings of pressure that theyshare with one another. For example, overindulgence in drink ordrugs may lead to violence or unwanted sexual activities. Raymond J. Once the undergraduate isaccepted into a specific group of peers, importance shifts to a need toremain within that group. The collegeundergraduate is unwilling to talk directly about the subject ofirresponsible behavior because there are a number of social stigmasconnected to it. Developmental turning points. For example, manyundergraduates engage in excessive "partying" simply because everyone elsein their group does it. Even if a young personis worried about the health risks of such behaviors, he or she might engagein them anyway simply out of fear of being rejected from the group.Another factor which helps to explain excessive "partying" amongundergraduates is the fact that college life is filled with a number ofunique pressures which don't exist anywhere else. These stressful conditionsare often compounded by parental expectations. . Ross, H. College undergraduates experience unique psychological demandsbecause they are going through a number of important transitional changesin their lives. (199 ). Because of the stigmas connected toirresponsible behavior, young college students seek to cover up suchconduct by associating it with a different name. The fear of rejection is a powerful factorin explaining the behaviors of undergraduate students. Campus life: Undergraduate cultures from theend of the eighteenth century to the present. 11). For example, the youngcollege student must learn to deal with tough class loads while trying tomaintain a good grade average at the same time. Knopf. 4). Specifically, it implies getting drunk and behaving in arowdy fashion. The MarshallCavendish encyclopedia of personal relationships: Human behavior. The use of the euphemism "partying" does notindicate irresponsibility, but rather the idea of sharing fun experienceswith one another. (1989). These psychological factors not only help to explain the behavior of"partying" but also help to explain the euphemism which is used to describeit. In addition, however, theyoung people themselves do not want to face up to the idea of beingunstable or irresponsible. Thus, euphemisms such as "partying" are commonly used amongthat group. By extension, thecommon use of slang terms like "partying" is related to the need toidentify with the rest of the group. All of these changes cause the undergraduateto feel a need for acceptance within a group. 93). (1984). In this regard, "slang allows college students toendure and enjoy together that twilight zone between adolescence andadulthood" (Eble, 1989, p. Again, this mutualrelieving of tensions is related to group identity. Many experts feel thatthe transition to adulthood is one of the most traumatic changes that aperson experiences in life. References Eble, C. This is a situation whichHorowitz (1987) refers to as "psychic distress among undergraduates" (p.257). Most undergraduates are making the transition fromadolescence to young adulthood. These changes have a powerful influence on the psychological state ofmost college undergraduates. Eble (1989), in her book oncollege slang, notes that unique words are used by college students as ameans "to strengthen their group identity and to set themselves off fromothers" (p. However, as noted, this transitioninto adulthood is often a difficult thing for the young person. The fear of rejection causes young peopleto frequently engage in behaviors which they realize their parents andother authority figures would disapprove of. Being exposed to new people and new social situations furthercontributes to this feeling. Adult development. In this way, college undergraduates can engage in asocially unacceptable behavior without having to admit it through the useof such terms as "getting drunk" or "being rowdy." It may be noted that "partying" also appears to be a euphemism forthe purpose of covering up the known dangers which are associated withexcessive behaviors of this sort. (1987). In particular, parents and other authority figures frownupon this type of behavior among young people. 669). Lugo, J. As noted by Horowitz (1987), "in entering college, freshmen stepinto a complex environment containing alternative student cultures, eachwith its own standards and values" (p. 668-669.----------------------- 8 In some cases, it can also imply the use of recreationaldrugs. As a collective group, this type of behavioroccurs as a means for solidifying the bond that the undergraduates feelthey share with one another. As noted, peer pressure and the need to belong to aparticular group are two factors which help to explain why collegeundergraduates engage in "partying" behaviors in the first place. In addition,such behaviors contribute to the high incidence of automobile accidentswhich occur among young people. As such, it simply refers to the act of engaging in a socialgathering. 1. Because of their desire to be perceived as adults, collegeundergraduates generally do not want to admit outright that they areirresponsible. Encyclopedia of psychology.Vol. 28). By using this type of euphemism, thecollege undergraduate is able to obtain a feeling of "fitting in." Young people, especially in the college setting, feel a need to actgrown up. Asthis paper will show, the use of this euphemism reflects a number of thingsabout the state of mind of undergraduates. The state of mind of the college undergraduate is centered around theneed to become a responsible adult. New York: Marshall Cavendish, pp. When used by college students, "partying" is a euphemism because itsounds less offensive than "getting drunk" or "getting stoned." In fact,the term "partying" sounds like it is referring to good, clean fun. However, when used by a group of college undergraduates,"partying" has special connotations which are not found in the normal useof the word. L. College slang 1 1. This use of slang words is, in turn, related to the needfor psychological security which college undergraduates share with oneanother. Inaddition, these factors help to explain why college undergraduates have ashared language all their own. Such wordsallow "the users to appear to make value judgments without actually takinga stand or exposing their feelings" (Eble, 1989, p. W. 14). Without a doubt,the transitions which occur during college life represent a difficult timefor most undergraduate students. Therefore, the relatively mild term "partying" is ameans for hiding oneself from the reality of these dangerous factors.Rather than admitting that such behaviors are dangerous, the collegeundergraduate engages in them anyway and then conceals the fact by callingthem by a different name. On the one hand, the young adult gets to experiencegreater independence than ever before. Therefore, it can be assumed that "partying" is often a way torelieve the tensions which come with college life. New York: John Wiley & Sons, pp. Vol. This is particularlytrue among college undergraduates because, as mentioned, they are out inthe world alone for the first time and they are actively seeking a newidentity and a new way of life. The difficult transitions of young adulthood result in a need forgroup involvement. Furthermore, excessive drinking and use ofdrugs are known to have a detrimental impact on one's health and one'sthinking abilities. The young adult must decide upon a personalidentity, make a choice of career, establish a lifestyle, and learn todevelop adult-to-adult relationships (Lugo, 1984, p. Thebehaviors associated with excessive drinking and rowdiness have been deemedirresponsible by the society at large. This paper will be concerned with the euphemism "partying" as used bycollege undergraduates. 27-3 . As a general rule, the word "party" is a nounreferring either to a social gathering or a political organization. Such words relate directly to the psychological state of mindof undergraduate students. Forexample, the search for identity and the search for meaning in life areboth solved to an extent by identification with a specific social group.In addition, being away from home for the first time is often a frighteningexperience which causes the young adult to seek out new relationships withothers. Georgetown, Ct.: SpectacleLane. As a result, the euphemism"partying" is used to describe this behavior so that the undergraduate willnot have to directly admit to being irresponsible. Despite the superficial appearance ofhaving fun, these tensions are clearly reflected in the terminologies whichare used by the undergraduates themselves. 6.Glenn Wilson, ed. The psychology of young adulthood involvesa need to prove that one is part of a group. 28). On the other hand, however, he orshe must deal with the responsibilities which come from making one's owndecisions in life (Lugo, 1984, p. Being away from home for the first timeis a mixed blessing. Horowitz, H. In addition, theyoung adult who is attending college is usually living away from home forthe first time in his or her life. New York: Alfred A. Corsini, ed. The result of these changes is that theundergraduate feels a strong need to fit in with a group of peers. As noted by Ross (199 ), fear of rejection isalways a serious concern among young adults (p. At the same time, however, the tensions of college life combinedwith peer pressure often result in irresponsible behaviors among youngstudents. Theverb "partying" is also listed in the dictionary as an American variationof the word. The use of euphemisms of all sorts is also related to the factor ofpeer pressure. Research has shown thatsome college students become severely depressed as a result of thesepressures. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.