Do you fit into any of these categories? Do adults still do this? Have you ever felt ostracized by a group of people? Childhood memories regarding cliques?



Cliques

Popular/goth/geek/loner? What are cliques and why do they exist anyway?

What?

Cliques are small exclusive social groups of friends, sharing common traits or interests (be this based on music, dress, sport etc.) There are usually hierarchies of cliques among teens, from the popular group to the losers. Virtually everyone is part of a group during their teens, even those who see themselves as loners will be grouped together by onlookers.

"I was in-between really - not a geek or anything but also not really popular," explains Julia. "I was happy in the group I was in but I hate it how people are automatically put into a group. I was so glad when I left school because I could be who I wanted to be."

Types of clique

* Popular: The cool group, the most 'attractive' by Hollywood standards, athletes and cheerleaders. Seen as mainstream airheads by other groups. Girls tend to be blonde and wear pink.
* Arty intellectuals: Not quite geeks as they have the whole boho thing going on, this lot tend to be (or pretend to be) oblivious of the whole clique system and spend lunches discussing philosophy, strolling around galleries or reciting poetry.
* Stoners/ slackers: Baggy clothes, blim burns, nicotine stains, scruffy long hair and an ability to have whole conversations compiled of quotes from slacker movies. They want to be everyone's friend but the feeling's not mutual.
* Freaks/ Goths: Head to toe black and eyeliner galore, scarily huge boots, and the look of the zombie about them, they scare off other cliques who fear the may bite them. Loners: Prefer life on the outside or maybe everyone else prefers them on the outside. Think Christian Slater in Heathers.
* Drifters: No set group, drifters split their time with all the other cliques, and mostly get on with everyone. Easy going and fairly 'normal'.
* Geeks/ nerds: While the net has suddenly got cool and techies are more likely to don club wear, listen to techno and take lots of drugs than have cheese and wine evenings, the short-trousered geek stereotypes still exist, while the new techies have become the 'cyber clique'. Brain boxes and swots usually get pushed in here too, but only those that wear bottle-top glasses.

Where?

Cliques aren't restricted to schools, they can often be found in the workplace, as teams gang up against each other. However at college and university inter-group hostility is usually low to non-existent, as the boundaries tend to blur and fade.

The upside

Cliques provide:

* A sense of belonging to their members;
* A source of support;
* Protection from other cliques;
* Boosts to members' self-esteem by making them feel wanted.

The downside:

* Cliques can become guarded and hostile to outsiders. One of the ways cliques reinforce themselves is by putting down whoever isn't in with them, using teasing, taunting, and violence;
* They can leave you devoid of individuality and prevent you mixing with people outside your group. Cliques often require some uniformity among members-in appearance, in attitude, or in behaviour-to distinguish their group from other people and from other cliques and reject anyone who is different;
* They can make you act differently from normal in an effort to fit in;
* They can dump you at the drop of a hat, leaving you isolated and vulnerable.
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It is by caffeine alone that I set my mind in motion. It is by the Coca-Cola that the thoughts acquire speed, the lips acquire stains, the stains become a warning. It is by caffeine alone that I set my mind in motion.

I grew up in as tiny town. We had 2 groups of kids. Town kids (who walked to school) and country kids (who rode the bus).

I was in the clique that rode the bus.

But I got along with the town kids too.

I don't click or clique,,,,
I clack and rather loudly

Coke also is very good to clean out your toilet bowl! Or so I heard.

What im trying to say is we didnt have cliques...our school was so small all of kids were all together for band/basketball/choir/etc...there were no "tryouts" we were in it together or we didn't have that program.

It's been to long to think about school.
But it was hippies and jocks. and I was a hippie. No need to put stoner and slacker in the same group. I worked hard.

I was a town kid......I was also the "cheerleader" type, but in my last 2 years I did something unheard of......and dated a guy from a rival school . I was then pushed into a new "clique" and lost some friends over it. Funny how that works. Oh the pressures of being 16....

Your awfully nice TT, I'm sure you got along with most everyone!

HA! What's clacking? Or should i ask?

Yep I'm sure the categories change as the years do. We didn't have goth kids in the 80's. Schools here are trying to put an end to that though. My 5th grader isn't allowed to wear black nail polish or have any "unnatural hair color" at school. Seems a bit extreme to me, but it's the rules.

I understand rivals!! My school & the next town over hated each other. Thanks Heather, I'm sure I did get along with everyone in my school...but you should have seen me play defense against the other town's girls in basketball!

Cliques aren't restricted to schools, work, etc. They also exist in dating site forums. You see that phenom here as well.

Hi snuggles....surely do. Hence the thread...

I'll f@#$k anything..




















thats a joke..

I have click-clacks...remember those!!!

Freak? Flock? Frisk?

I do not do cliques!!!! In fact I find them to be ridiculously infantile and usually full of women who like to gossip and wear the latest Lulu lemon outfits!!! I am an individual and detest cliquisms!!!

I do! I do! They were so much fun and great for pissing adults off!

Oh yeah.......those ball thingys. Forgot about those.

Yep... you do.