Cliques Essay, Research Paper

Cliques: Where do we Belong?

Driving down a deserted road, I arrived at a section which was filled with crows. All I could see was black covering the pavement in front of me. Nearing this stretch of highway, away the birds flocked. Continuing on, I glanced in my rearview mirror to see the crows gathered back where they had started. I couldn?t decide if the crows just couldn?t bear to be apart for more than a minute or if there was a great deal of delicious corn on the road! Probably both.

Just as the birds couldn?t stand to be apart, neither can some groups of friends. These are referred to as cliques. They consist of a group of people– girls, girls and guys, and just guys–who spend a great deal of time together. All types of so-called ?cliques,? exist, such as: popular, jock, ethnic or racial, drama, alternative, preps, nerds, the list goes on and on. The number of people varies from two or three people to around 15 or 20. Cliques appear to be a necessity for some people, but definitely not for me.

Those who need cliques sometimes have problems later in life. Of course this doesn?t apply to everyone, but when one clings onto a group in order to survive, the follower really needs to receive professional help. Cliques arose because some felt insecure about themselves and needed to grab hold of others in order to secure their own needs. Cliques also form because of shared interests and proven trust. Either of these ways might seem right for you, but the role you play in a clique can determine your happiness or your loneliness.

Like so many other high schools, Gibault has a number of cliques. Since these groups involve different interests and wants, they don?t always get along. When members of these cliques converse and associate only with members of the same cliques, they are cheating themselves out of many beautiful friendships that might have transpired. These people are not allowing themselves to find their true self and the meaning of their own life.

In some cases, many girls and even some guys begin feeling like they have to lose themselves in order to ?fit in.? This occurs because various cliques make their members play certain roles. Sometimes that role fits like an old pair of jeans; sometimes it feels like a straightjacket. Your life can become controlled for you instead of by you.

During my life, I have been involved in a wide range of interests. I have checked out a couple of cliques but decided they were not for me. Therefore, I consider myself a ?floater.? This way I can associate with a variety of people without getting stuck with just one group and one type of interests. I have friends in each clique and have fun with different people for different reasons. A definite plus to this signifies that I can act exactly as I am, not the way some group dictates. ?Floating? would not work for some people, in addition, it would cause anxiety if they really wanted to belong to a particular group. It fits me because I have found my inner strength. Developing my own sense of individuality, I have found a place where I belong? anywhere and everywhere I feel comfortable.

Life definitely constitutes a challenge, and we must all decide for ourselves how to get through it alive. Choosing whether or not to be in a clique or to be an individual remains our own decision. The only real way to know what remains right for us involves experiencing all that we can and choosing the best for ourselves.