Running head: Cliques: An Unhealthy Environment

Cliques: An Unhealthy Environment

Itzel Rivera

University of Texas at El Paso

Running head: Cliques: An Unhealthy Environment

Abstract

Many years before cliques have existed. Cliques sometimes seen as a simple game can lead to

many difficult and serious consequences. Self-esteem, emotions, and sometimes physical harm

can occurred to the people around these cliques. Popularity is the main concern of the people

who are around these cliques. Dangers and conflicts are very common when cliques are around.

Many cliques can start as friendship circles but sometimes the main goal is to get all the attention

of the people who are around them. Sometimes school violence has to do a lot with cliques due

that stereotypes are develop and they make the people near these cliques feel excluded. Cliques

can be more dangerous that what they look like. Whether or not to make a difference on how

cliques have converted to depends on the people who would do anything to join one of them.
Running head: Cliques: An Unhealthy Environment

Cliques have existed throughout many years. Although new labels have been created as

time goes by, the same consequences have move along with them. These consequences

sometimes involve some damages on the self-esteem and death may sometimes be involved.

Society has focused to become part of certain groups that the main purpose is to open many

doors for them, in terms of society. Having the attention of the people that are around them, has

become a need for society. Cliques not only affect people who are out of them, but sometimes

the people who suffer more are the ones that are inside them. People who are inside cliques and

are desperate to get the attention of everyone around them they usually have the lowest self-

esteem of the people who are usually around these cliques. These social groups or cliques are

very common in work places and school grounds. As cliques have become more popular

throughout the different periods of time, cliques are now seen as important reasons for school

and work violence. Frequently, something that is seen as a simple game can lead to some serious

consequences that can harm many people around the social groups or cliques.

Cliques have many characteristics that help define this specific social group. Cliques are

considered friendship circles where the people who are inside this circle feel mutually connected

with their peers that belong to the same group. Usually, cliques are dominated by a leader or

group of leaders. Members of these cliques tend to be popular around the place where they are

and they usually get all the attention from their peers, classmates, and people around. Cliques

have become very popular to develop during the pre-adolescence stage. “First, students in middle

school have a larger population, from which to choose friends, which encourages the

development of more distinct friendships or cliques” (Eder, 155, 1985). Cliques start to become

a problem when they start to get out of control within the especial policies they establish.

Cliques have a tendency to be very common throughout the female gender. Competition
Running head: Cliques: An Unhealthy Environment

among females within other females is very common. In order to be part of cliques girls have to

be popular among other girls and people who evolve towards them. In order for a girl to be

classified as “popular”, girls have to be at least considered to have beauty, and to have an

outgoing personality. “They (pre-adolescents) are forever talking about who is popular, who is

unpopular, and why they are popular” (Adler, 38, 1998). Popular girls tend to be the most

noticeable in school. Everyone around them knows their name, and due to this they experience

an increase in popularity. Since increase in popularity raises a confidence sentiment girls start to

feel like if they have a special authority among people who are around them.

Another very common factor of cliques involves relationships. Sometimes, people within

people who are from their same cliques. An example of this can be when the football players

date the cheerleaders. These policies or rules that these cliques establish, stops people from

meeting very important people that can change their lives. Cliques become very dominant,

anyone who is inside their perfect clique, where they are noticeable, is willing to do anything and

follow any rule so they will not kick them out of the cliques.

Although cliques can only be seen as social groups, they can lead to many problems and

dangers. An example of these problems regarding the people around them is the low self-esteem

cliques provide you. People who are involved in cliques are willing to please others. They do not

know how to develop real friendships. Rivalry develops and the importance of getting in a higher

level around the cliques becomes more and more tense. The ambition of becoming the cliques´

leader or leaders and get the attention of people around them is the main concern of the people

within cliques.
Running head: Cliques: An Unhealthy Environment

Personal self-esteem and emotions are not the only things that are harmed when cliques

are around. Academic achievement is also harmed due that the concentration is mainly focused

on whether or not they have chances of getting in or out of the cliques. This low academic

achievements bring in serious consequences throughout the future of the person whose mainly

focus was its personal popularity.

Despite of the low in self-esteem and the harms cliques can bring many serious

consequences have lead due to this social groups. Due to these groups, suicide has become

present in the lives of the people around cliques. Cliques, create a stereotypical atmosphere and

due to this people feel excluded. “The same studies found about 18 percent of students at typical

American high schools classify themselves as loners who don't seem to belong to any crowd”

(Current Health 2, 15, 1991). People who do not belong in the crowd develop certain types of

depression where sometimes the victims become antisocial and sometimes they have to attend to

certain therapies to help them face their self-esteem problems.

*figure 1: Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, Oct2009, Vol. 55 Issue 4, p406-435, 30p, 5 Charts Chart; found on p419
Running head: Cliques: An Unhealthy Environment

It has been proved by statistics that cliques have been growing as time goes by. It is now

very common to see social groups around school grounds. Cliques can be extremely difficult if

they go out of control. Whether popularity is considered to be because of the external beauty

people have or if they have an outgoing personality, people who considered being part of these

social groups should have more ambition on learning to interact with different people to learn

more about who they want to become. Being part of a certain group can be fine as long as respect

and an open mind is present concerning people who think different from the specific group they

belong. Cliques are a major concern in today´s world, making a difference is left to the judgment

of the people who are close to these social groups.

*figure 2: Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, Oct2009, Vol. 55 Issue 4, p406-435, 30p, 5 Charts

Chart; found on p423
Running head: Cliques: An Unhealthy Environment

References

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Eder, D. (1985). The Cycle of Popularity: Interpersonal Relations Among

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Epstein, Joseph. (2006). Friendship: an exposé. Retrieved from Utep Library database.

Holland, B., Spencer, H., Worthy, T., & Kennedy, M. (2010). Identifying Cliques of

Convergent Characters: Concerted Evolution in the Cormorants and Shags. Systematic

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Miller, Thomas W. (2008). School Violence and Primary Prevention. Retrieved from

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Running head: Cliques: An Unhealthy Environment