Nearly every high school student deals with cliques. We have all seen these groups around school, whether it’s the jocks, the drama club or the skaters.
But what do we really know about cliques?
Over time, the definition of “clique” has become much more muddled.
Jocks and cheerleaders may be old standbys when it comes to cliques, but people naturally tend to bond with others who share their activities and interests.
“Because people spend much of their time with people, say on a sports team, you tend to become good friends with them,” says Casey Borch, a professor of sociology at of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “That’s where cliques really start.”
New cliques have formed in this way and their members often include students from clubs that only recently began to exist in high schools. For instance, school clubs formed around dance and hip-hop culture have helped popularize the b-boy clique, which is in tune with hip-hop.
That’s also the case for Lincoln Park sophomore Palma Lacey.
“It really was in the activity that I do. I am a part of a crew (rowing) team … and I’ve found that I hang around more friends from crew than my friends just from school,” she says.
Borch says another factor behind the formation of new cliques is the Internet, which has allowed people from all over the world to communicate. Without ever seeing each other, people can form groups based on their political views, favorite movies or sports.
Even sites such as Facebook have created new ways of forming cliques.
“The site will pick out people for you to be friends with based on compatibility,” Borch says. “It takes a whole aspect out of forming the clique.”
Yet other experts such as Patti Adler, a professor of Sociology at the University of Colorado, believe these are only social groupings, not cliques.
“Networks like these really are social groupings because they aren’t as exclusionary as a clique,” she says. “People join these groups to expand their friend base, whereas cliques you really have the exclusion factor.”
Cliques, she said, are ever-changing, just like the cultures in which they exist.
Pop culture, says Adler, effects cliques’ characteristics and how they act. That’s why some cliques reflect the politics of the times in which they’re formed. The ’70s, for instance, were a time of expression and freedom. Those cliques may have looked even more free and open than those of today.
“The economy too, has an effect,” Adler says. If times are affluent, she says, cliques will be different than in times of struggle.
For example, the ’70s were not a time of economic struggle, and cliques (such as hippies) were more open. When making money becomes more of a problem — like in the current generation — cliques may become more exclusive.
“I think a clique is usually exclusive,” says Max Mooney, a Lane Tech senior. “I mean, it’s a bunch of people who only want to be with each other. I really don’t like them in that sense.”
The negative reputation is usually reinforced in the media. From “Mean Girls” to “Gossip Girl,” cliques >>>>often get a bad rap.
However, Borch says positive things can from cliques.
“The truth is that they aren’t all bad,” he says. “A clique can have a very positive affect on a teen because it can keep them focused.”
So what effect do cliques have on teens’ futures?
“Cliques … open up certain activities and close others,” Adler says. “They brand students. Cliques tell you who they are.”
However, contrary to popular belief, Borch says that your high school clique really does not affect life after high school.
“People tend to restart their life socially in college anyway, so your clique doesn’t matter as much,” he says. “It’s the kids that have no clique, no friends, that’s when it gets tough. It becomes harder for these kids to make friends and they don’t have as much experience with it as someone who did have friends in high school.”
An article from careerbuilder.com explains that people are more likely to get certain jobs based on cliques. For example, a former high school cheerleader may be more likely to work as a manager because she’s used to cheering on people.
Borch adds that personality more likely determines a person’s future than his or her high school clique.
“It really doesn’t have as much to do with the clique as it does with the kind of person you are,” Borch says. “The kind of person you are though, does determine what clique you are in. It goes both ways.”
To some, cliques may seem like they’re more trouble than they’re worth, so can anyone be free of them? Some teens say yes.
“I have seen at my high school that people tend to group with a bunch of different people,” says Sally Cohen, a senior at Whitney Young. “There doesn’t seem to be as big of a divide as before.”
However, even those who don’t see themselves as part of a clique are still in one to some degree, Borch says. No one, he says, is free from cliques.
“Everyone has one,” Borch says. “You may not be popular in your clique … but you still have a group that you spend your time with.”
Types of cliques
Popular kids: Usually the most attractive and well-known teens at. Today, this clique is less prevalent because some popular kids appear in many cliques, not just their own.
Drama kids: These teens believe they are above cliques and tend to be into more arts and intellectual pursuits.
Slackers: They usually wear baggy clothes and seem not to care too much about appearance. They can be spacey.
Goths: These types tend to break off from the drama club clique and wear black clothing, eyeliner, etc. Meanwhile, straight-edge punkers oppose using drugs and alcohol.
Drifters: We all know someone who tries to be friends with everyone. This is that clique, although it really isn’t a clique because they tend not to hang out with each other.
Geeks/nerds: Those who are much more into science and other subjects more than anyone else at school. But nerds aren’t always into books — they can be “Star Wars” nerds, or even nerds about sports. It’s all how you apply it.
Jocks/cheerleaders: Athletes hangs out with each other because teams tend to stick together, especially during season. Most cheerleaders are exactly the same.
Source: thesite.org
