Cliques are popular between teens in middle school and high school. Cliques and crowds provide social control and social support, via comments, exclusion, and admiration (B. Brown & Larson, 2009).Myself and some of my friends fit into multiple groups in high school. It gave us a place to fit in and an identity. These are positive attributes of cliques which can help a teen grow up feeling like they are of importance and have a security group. There are some downfalls in cliques though that can be unhealthy to a teen. If a certain clique becomes hostile to other groups or individuals, it can cause incredible damage.Bullying can form causing a teens self confidence to drop. Not only just bulling can exist with cliques, but they can hinder other possible friendships and ones own image. Cliques can blur individuality and prevent members from mixing with members of other groups ( Mandel, 2010). I believe teens that are already are confident in who they are able to join cliques in a healthy way and can reap the benefits. Many times teens that don't feel like they fit in or have a purpose in life may use cliques in a negative way. Parents and teachers need to make sure their teens are grouping together for the right reasons and not to group just to feel better about themselves. Teens need to feel confident about themselves first before they rely on a clique to define themselves.
Citations:
Berger, Kathleen. (2011). The Developing Person Through the Life Span. New York, NY : Worth Publishers.
Mandel, Joshua. (2010). Social Life in Middle and High School: Dealing With Cliques and Bullies. Retrieved November 05, 2016, from http://www.education.com/reference/article/bullying-in-middle-and-high-school/.
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