Crowds or cliques
Since it is well known that adolescents like to be around people, it makes since that they have both crowds and cliques. A clique is more of a tight group of friends whereas a crowd is a group that shares a particular characteristic. “Because crowds are based more on reputation and stereotype than on interaction, they probably contribute more to the adolescents’’ sense of identity and self-conception” (Steinberg, 2016, p. 130). H.D. for example is in a crowd called IB. Her high school has two separate magnet programs. IB is the smaller of the two programs, there are only 52 students in the senior year class that means that entire group is a crowd in which H.D. associates. They set the basis of interactions as seen through the very different relationships they hold with faculty in the building. The IB kids carry a stigma about them for being responsible. Crowds like IB also “establish social norms-values and expectations-that members strive to follow”
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fits more into, and is equally as common as a couple breaking up, is having groups turn into just couples. “As some adolescents become interested in romantic relationships, part of the group begins to split off into mixed-sex cliques” (Steinberg, 2016, p. 130). Same sex groups of friends really end in elementary or middle school, from then on out it is all about navigating who you like, who is in the friend zone, and what friends do you have platonic relationships with. Because as soon as there becomes these mixed-sex groups, “the larger peer group is replaced by loosely associated sets of couples” (Steinberg, 2016, p. 131). Before you know it everyone in the group is coupled up. This is what is slowly happening to H.D. her and her boyfriend are a couple, and then there are two other couples in the group. To put it into perspective, all three guys in the friend group are now in a relationship with a girl in the group. There are a few extra girls, but every boy is partnered
The article goes on to say, "Yet cliques are more than that: they have a hierarchical structure, being dominated by leaders and are exclusive, so that not all individuals who desire membership are accepted" (Adler & Adler 145). These two statements explain how influential cliques are on young children, and how they often lead to social isolation. In the book, Blanco is never really accepted into the group she so desperately strives to join. The experts also agree with the fact that if a person does not fit into a social group, it is possible that one day that person will be tormented. Adler and Adler give a possible answer to why this is happening: "Being picked on instilled outsider with fear, grinding them to accept their inferior status and discouraging them from rallying together to challenge the power hierarchy" (Adler & Adler 154).
No one would talk to her, recess was spent in anguish, and she would find garbage and spoiled food in her book bag. As she progressed into 5th grade, some of the social atmosphere began to shift in subtle but profound ways. Being accepted into a clique is all that matters. Instead of being admired for class participation, as in earlier years she was laughed at and labeled as “teacher’s pet.” She said the rules were simple “shun or be shunned—if you weren’t willing to go along with the crowd, you would become the reject.”
Teens, in particular, have always sought to separate themselves into different social groups. Whether they’re named the nerds and the jocks or the preps and the rebels, one group has always been “in” and one group has always been “out”. It’s just the names and uniforms have changed(Doc A). This has never been more apparent in the novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Set in the 1960’s in Tulsa, Oklahoma, two groups of teens —the no-good greasers and the rich Socs— are at constant odds with each other. While it may be easy to tell who are the outsiders in the novel at first glance, lines become blurred as the reader gets deeper into the novel. It’s true the Socs and/or the greasers may be the outsiders referred to in the title of the novel, however, the title truly pertains to the individuals who see beyond the divide of the 2 groups aforementioned above.
In many high schools, there is an unspoken social order amongst peer groups; teenagers are either included in the popular group or the unpopular group. These social standings are determined by the popular group whether they will accept certain people based on shared interests and values but mainly on appearance. For example, some groups may isolate a student who does not have clothing considered attractive enough. Teenagers belonging to the popular clique label individuals as outcasts who do not fit the clique’s standards of a perfect appearance. This repression can cause a build up of anger if an outcast seeks to be accepted into that popular group.
The high schools are made up of cliques and the artificial intensity of a world defined by insiders and outsiders. (Botstein pg.20) The insiders hold control. over the outsiders because of good looks, popularity, and sports power; the teacher. and staff do nothing to stop them, the elite.
Cults Each year, hundreds of North Americans join one of the increasing, estimated 3000 unorthodox religions that exist across North America. The increasing number of cults, to date in North America, is due to the fact that cults are a social movement that attempts to help people cope with their perceived problems with social interaction. Cult recruiters target those who perceive themselves as different from the rest of society, and give these individuals the sense of belonging that they crave. Cult literature lures potential cult members by appealing to their desperate need to socially fit in. Cults provide a controlled family environment that appeals to potential cult members because it is a removal from the exterior society.
Our behavior is an obvious effect of how groups affect us. Social facilitation for example occurs when an indivisual changes their performance because others are around (Cacioppo & Freberg, 2014). When Dap and Half-Pint where in the library, Half- Pint acted in a calm relatable matter, yet around the Gamma recruits he conformed to the dumb things they did. Social loafing also affects people within a group. Social loafing is the reduced motivation and effort shown by individuals working in a group as opposed to working alone (Cacioppo & Freberg, 2014). An example of social loafing would be when Dap’s group decided to march in the parade, the people supporting him wouldn’t need to apply as much effort to protest together than they would alone. School Daze also conveys the message of being lost in the crowd, which is Deindividuation. Deindividuation is the lost of personal identity within the crowd (Cacioppo & Freberg, 2014). Sororities and fraternities have the idea that all members are one. Last, but not least a group can affect one’s attitude, or the way you feel about something. The common attitudes of the sororities and fraternities lead to prejudice. Prejudice is a prejudgment, usually negative, of another person on the basis of his or her membership in a group. In School Daze, Rachael and Jane had a rivalry because they had two different points of view on hair, causing the entire group to dislike each other because they were apart of a separate group. As the saying goes, you are the company you
Entering a high school today, one might not see too many relationships, but one thing one might see is that the people in a relationship care about dating for a significant amount of time. The teenage culture of the 1950’s believed “going steady was a sign of popularity,” and the popular kids dated each other (Bailey 140). In Rebel Without a Cause, Judy, who is the dominant female of her group
Peer groups are different in characteristic and require a customized approach. Nonetheless, at the heart of youths is an intense energy that yearns to connect and explore the surrounding (Goold 435). This makes it easier for the youth to engage in improper habits that have dire repercussions.
As an individual stuck amidst a foundation known for its propensity to breed social congruity, college has opened my eyes to numerous distinctive reasons why individuals decide to act in ways they wouldn't regularly act. Since they ordinarily aren't certain of their character, adolescents are more inclined to similarity than others. In the most essential structure, college is tormented with congruity through the generalizations that learners seek after and explore different avenues regarding trying to uncover their personality. There are two sorts of Conformity: the kind that makes you do your errands when your father authorizes you to, and the less than great kind in which you aimlessly take after the thoughts and tenets of an inner circle or gathering, without addressing the negative impacts it has upon yourself and the improvement of whatever remains of public opinion. Conformity is basic in that people strive for a feeling of strength and acknowledgement in their lives. As a result of this need, “we therefore figure out how to fit in with principles of other individuals. What's more the more we see others carrying on in a certain manner or settling on specific choices, the more we feel obliged to stick to this same pattern.” Despite the freedoms we are supposed to have in American society most adolescents find it difficult to have their own identity.
When life becomes overwhelming during adolescence, a child’s first response is to withdraw from the confinement of what is considered socially correct. Individuality then replaces the desire to meet social expectations, and thus the spiral into social non-conformity begins. During the course of Susanna’s high school career, she is different from the other kids. Susanna:
When people join a large crowd, often they find themselves losing their individuality. Some people may feel a strong desire to conform to fit into the crowd (Changing Minds, 2013). People in crowds may undergo deindividuation, which is a loss of individual identity to gain the social identity of the group. This can result in a loss of the normal constraints that a person may have to guard against deviant behavior (Kassin, Fein, & Markus, 2010). This behavior results from the feelings of arousal, anonymity, and a reduction of individual responsibilities. People may feel that in a group their less responsible for actions and behaviors. This can allow people to participate in destructive behaviors without feelings of moral and ethical responsibilities one may have when alone.
Social influence/peer groups were one of the dominant themes in my observations, survey, and literature. Social influence looks at how individual thoughts, actions and feelings are influenced by social groups (Aronson, 2010).The desire to be accepted and liked by others can lead to dangerous behavior. College life can be an overwhelming experience for first time college students and or transfer students as they struggle to manage class time and social activities in an attempt to fit-in in the new environment that they may not be used to. Students can experience too much anxiety and drop out of college or fall behind classes. Working at the Cambell Student Union information Center, I observed a great deal of students falling into this trap of social influence and peer pressure. A female student tripped as she was going up the stairs to Spot Coffee but did not fall. What appears to be a group of guys who are not popular (guys who are not very well known), were seating where popular students normally seat. The group of guys started laughing at the girl and stopped. One guy kept laughing, but it was obvious he was forcing the laughter as to purposely attract attention. He started making jokes about the girl and carrying on the laughter so he would appear to be funny. Another example, which portrays peer influence, involves parties over the weekend. Multiple students stated they were falling behind in classes on the grounds of their friends wanted to go out the night before and they did not want to seem/appear “lame” so they tagged along. The influence of a group is intensified by the person’s desire to be an accepted member of the peer group. To achieve this desire he tries to conform in everyday to the patterns approved by the grou...
Kosten, P. A., Scheier, L. M., & Grenard, J. L. (2012). Latent class analysis of peer conformity: Who is yielding to pressure and why?, Youth & Society, 45, 565-590. DOI 10.1177/0044118X12454307
However not everyone is as fortunate to be socially popular with tons of friends. And with this comes social discrimination, a higher issue for teens, but that doesn’t leave adults out of the picture. For example in schools, we all either hate or love the popular kids, and/or love or hate the socially awkward kids. But purpose of the situation is that they don’t get along with each other. Also since they don’t get along, it causes drama, and even fights in school leaving a school with no peace. Many of these social discrimination conflicts can lead to school kids being bullied, for who they are and what they like. Most of these conflicts usually end in pain by either the popular kid and/or socially awkward one. They could be going through a rough time with family, health, etc. As for adults, they are just known to be grown children, because just like kids, teens, adolescents, parents will go against each other worse than kids. Humans are always trying to be on top of the food chain, a.k.a. the social ladder. But when things aren’t going their way, it can lead to an uproar that doesn’t point in the direction of