Question

What is a claim about peer pressure??????

Answer 1

Any statement you might make (on any topic) which can be argued is a "claim," also known as a thesis statement. But it has to be something that is arguable. It ought not to be a simple fact. It ought to be more than a simple point of view, matter of opinion, or matter of taste. A fact cannot be disputed -- it either is or isn't true. You can't argue the point. (Keep in mind, though, that sometimes even the facts are disputed. In cases such as this, it is possible to find a claim to make about a "fact.") A matter of opinion, matter of taste, or simple point of view is your own outlook, something also that no one can argue with.

If you said, for example, "Students experience peer pressure in school," no one would argue with you. Everyone pretty much accepts the existence of peer pressure. Likewise, if you said, "Peer pressure really bothers me," no one could argue the point. What you do or don't like is something only you can know. And if you said, "Peer pressure is really bad" (or words to that effect), few would argue with you.

How do you come up with a good claim? By thinking through the issue, by doing a little preliminary research. What about peer pressure interests you? How does it affect your life or the lives of those you know? This exploration helps you to narrow your focus.

Good thesis statements are debatable. They are narrowed enough in focus that you can really dig into the issues in depth. And the most interesting thesis statements are those we find surprising. If you wanted to argue, for example, that there was some positive side to peer pressure--with a good focused and arguable statement--that would make for a surprising claim, and a potentially very interesting paper.

Here's some more info on thesis statements, with better examples than I can come up with off the cuff --

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/01/