Wednesday 25 September 2013

Tween the Weekends: The Power of Cliques...


I think it would hard to be an adolescent in this day and age. Don’t get me wrong, there was a lot of hard choices and problems I faced when I was a tween back, well back in the ‘day’. We still had bullying, but not cyber-bullying. And there was no such thing as sexting, texting, or twerking. But there have always been cliques whether in elementary school or high school. In fact, even as adults, cliques are prominent in work, sports, post secondary education, clubs, and neighborhoods.
By Wikipedia’s definition, a clique is a group of “persons who interact with each other more regularly than others in the same setting.” Interacting with cliques is part of normative social development regardless of gender, ethnicity, or popularity. Although cliques are most commonly studied during adolescence and middle childhood, they exist in all age groups.

It’s almost tribal, this power cliques have over us—wanting to be a part of a certain group, or the ‘in’ crowd, or the top of the heap.
When you think of the word tribal your mind conjures images of group identity, group force, group willpower, and group belief patterns. Tribes have very primal connections. Shame your parents, and you’ve shamed your family. Snitch on a friend, and you’re on the blacklist for a stint or forever. Date someone who has a bad rep, and suddenly your name is all over the social media, and not in a good way. Lose the game, and you’re shunned by your teammates.

The Breakfast Club is probably one of the best movies that exemplify cliques. There’s the Jock, the Beauty Queen, the Misfit, the Rebel, and the Geek. All tribes fitting into one box. If you’ve never seen this 80s gem, take a peek at the trailer:



So how do we break the power, the dare-I-say spell that cliques can have over us?
In the first book of my MG/YA time travel series, my characters—five kids who are all from different ethnic and social backgrounds—were given a detention too, but unlike the actors in The Breakfast Club, they were made to work together to clean up a yard for a period of two weeks. Once they found the weathered stone time portal, barriers started to crumble between them, and they got to know and understand each other better. They became connected in a way they would have never imagined, and I believe that understanding each other is a good place to start breaking the bonds of cliques.

What do you think about cliques, and the power they have in our society? I’d love to read what you have to say…   

14 comments:

  1. People have a natural tendency to huddle together. This isn't a bad thing until one huddle begins to lash out at another. We all need to step out of our comfort zones once in a while and interact with people outside our normal social groups. I agree that kids today have it worse than we did growing up.

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    1. True that, Alan, like attracts like. Huddles/tribes tend to make a person feel safer. It's the brave ones that eventually step out of their comfort zone. Cheers!

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  2. Great post Sharon. I agree with you and Alan, things are a lot tougher now a days. There's a lot more pressure on kids to fit in.

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    1. Yes, and with the internet and social media there's a whole lot of other problems kids have to deal with. Cheers for commenting, Lisa!

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  3. We had cliques way back in my day, but I never viewed it so much as a bad thing. But I knew who I was, even if I wasn't the most confident kid on the block. I had one best friend all through school, from the beginning, so I never felt that sense of not fitting in that so many kids experience. There were certainly plenty of mean girls and mean boys, and they had the power to hurt feelings, but I knew I could count on at least one friend to keep my head up. I wish all kids had that advantage.

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    1. Cliques weren't always a bad thing, Cordelia, but it seemed birds of a feather flock together, and didn't want to fly out of their comfort zone. I guess it's part of life, but adapting to understand others would help break down the barriers. Cheers for commenting!

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  4. Hi, Sharon,
    By the sound of it, your book puts a positive spin on a having a group of kids get together around a common cause. Cliques can and do make life miserable for some unfortunate kids.

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    1. Thanks, J.L., I don't think cliques will ever 'go away' but I do hope they evolve. Cheers for your support!

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  5. Great post. I'm always interested to hear opinions on this subject. I'm not sure things are more difficult for kids now, but there are different pressures for sure. Cliques are cliques no matter the format. But cliques can also be called friendship groups, and that doesn't sound so scary. :-)

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  6. Very different, Amaleen. And yes, cliques have positive associations too. Cheers!

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  7. I was sort of a clique-hopper in high school. I had friends all over. Though I was pretty quiet and my close circle was much smaller.

    Your book is on my TBR list, Sharon. This makes me more eager to read it! Alas, I must finish Taylor 2.

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    1. I was in the middle of the school-cool spectrum, Michelle, and was tight with my group too. Now get your butt in the chair and finish your novel! Cheers!

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  8. Your book sounds fun, and I think I'll also have to check out The Breakfast Club. Must have missed it somewhere along the way, but you have me intrigued. :)

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    1. Thanks, Suzanne! Yes, The Breakfast Club is definitely a classic! I look back at some of the actors and wonder where they are now. Cheers!

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