High School Cliques and a Bit of Improvisation

¶ … causes that explain clique behavior in high school, and as to the male cliques, it isn't simply a matter of "boys being boys." While it may look like typical adolescent rebellion -- teenage angst -- it is more a matter of self-image and self-esteem. There is seemingly always an element of rebellion -- that has been generalized and stereotyped as a natural part of growing up for decades -- but in truth the studies that are reflected in "Kicking Back" indicate self-esteem is apparently a serious reason for cliques. It seems to be a case of kids hanging out together to protect themselves from appearing to be weak, and kids who are confused and lost -- while their hormones rage wildly through their bodies -- who act weird, crazy, stupid and moreover, do spontaneous things that can be hurtful to others.

(Two) According to studies reported in "Kicking Back" there is an unbelievable percentage of adolescents who don't feel good about themselves. It seems hard to fathom that only 5% of kids in high school actually feel good about themselves. Frankly there must be additional studies that would challenge those numbers. Somehow the questions asked during these surveys must have been skewed because asserting that 80% of kindergarten kids are happy and content but only 5% of them still feel good about themselves by the time they reach the 9th grade is near to preposterous. Given that there must be some truth in that data, the explanation may lie in the emotional and psychological battering they take through negative statements, and also their failure to meet society's expectations certainly enters into the mix.

(Three) The graduates that were interviewed claim high school was not a productive experience and they claimed they did not receive the training or the skills they felt in hindsight that they really needed in order to succeed. They apparently never learned how to truly interact with others, they did not handle pressure and conflict very well, and no one explained to them or taught them what adolescent development is all about and the physical and psychological changes they were going through. The teenage years should be a time in which schools prepare youth for the challenges they will face later, and how to get a job and how to save and properly invest the money that is earned through menial work experiences. Given the high rates of suicide and attempts at suicide, that's a red flag that educators and public officials should heed.

(Four) Hostility that builds up within some students -- driven in part by a lack of self-esteem and classes that seem meaningless to them -- leads to cliques, and cliques can lead to bullying. It's the oldest concept in the world: there is strength in numbers. A loner who has very little support from his family and joins a clique now has a new "family" of friends that will back him up. One can hear them whisper in the hallways: "Let's pick on that geek David Martin today, and tomorrow we'll attack some queers." Those who have been bullied tend to cut classes to avoid being shoved, hit, and verbally harassed; some suffer serious emotional consequences and this problem is bigger today than it ever has been. It's a national disgrace that these events go on in schools

(Five) Cliques offer young people a group to belong to. In one sense, it's as simple as that, and for many kids, they aren't part of a church group and don't have a lot of friends outside school, so a clique gives them a social identity. Pretty girls hang out together and do the same things; football players share the same sub-culture within the school so it's reasonable to expect they will become a clique. There will always be cliques, there have always been cliques, and from an objective standpoint, there's no harm in a clique and until it becomes antisocial and violent -- or otherwise disruptive of the student population -- it is just another way for adolescents to publicly display their values. Many students want to be different than their parents, so they become part of a clique that represents an antithesis of their parents' values.

(Six) The great majority of adolescents do not become part of cliques. They tend to conform to the culture of the school, and go about their business. It's not that they are invisible or faceless, but they have their own ideas about what's important and their values and ideas are not necessarily powerful enough in one direction or with one cause (athletics, music, to attract them to others with similar values).

(Seven) This book stereotypes jocks unfairly. Simply because one study showed "most" jocks were "self-centered and egotistical" that does not necessarily prove anything. How many jocks were observed or interviewed? Yes, there is a built-in macho attitude when you play football especially, because you're out there putting your body on the line. And no doubt some jocks are antisocial and bullies. As for "self-centered" -- any researcher worth his or her salt could easily have pinned that label on any number of high school students. Jocks win games and bring pride to the school. Given that they are revered in many cases. In the maturing phase of adolescence Jocks will naturally have some swagger. Some display out-of-control hormones.

(Eight) Girls come off always popular but also as more adjusted and normal as a rule than boys in these clique surveys. Cheerleaders were not generally seen as snobs. Assuming that "trendies" were female, certainly many girls in adolescence are proud of their femininity and loved shopping because they wanted to be sexy like female movie and rock stars. Every high school has girls that are sexually provocative so there will always be "sluts."

(Nine) Membership in a clique is in most cases earned. Of course there may be situations with a guy clique picks out new potential members, but the old saying "birds of a feather flock together" is absolutely true in high school cliques. Drama students hang out together and even though they don't as a rule cause trouble or use heavy drugs, technically they are in cliques. Athletes hang together because they alone know the work that goes into getting in shape, hence they don't think anyone else really understands them outside of their athletic acumen.

(Ten) Typically those students that are ostracized are immigrants (Asians), gays, nerds, freaks (those going out of their way to be different) and punks. They were shunned or picked on verbally or physically bullied. For some, that drove them deeper into involvement with antisocial activities (stealing snorting cocaine, and/or causing damage to public places).