Adolescenes Fitting In or Standing Out

Why do teens have a hard time when it comes to fitting in with others while going into higher grades?While growing into teen years,Teens often find themselves forming friends as they go into higher grades.According to the article “Social Cliques” While becoming a teen,they often start to figure themselves out, meaning that they start to realize what they like to do and what they like doing during their spare time.According to the site “Adolescent cliques” In the social sciences, the word "clique" is used to describe a group of 2 to 12 (averaging 5 or 6) "who interact with each other more regularly and intensely than others in the same setting.The Popular Clique — members of this clique are generally known to have the most friends in their

High school cliques are typical during teenage years, giving members a feeling of acceptance and belonging. But I believe that cliques conversely damage a teen’s self esteem. The high school should get involved in helping all students feel more “socially included”. How can a student feel like they socially fit in? It is the responsibility of the high school to create an atmosphere for the student body which promotes acceptance and inclusion of other kids, allowing kids to feel like they belong.

“Why fit in when you can stand out?” You have been told this your whole life. But whose responsibility is it to find out where you fit in, yours? Or your peers? Your adolescent years are all about trying to not stand out, and trying just as hard to fit in with the “in crowd.” You use more energy trying to “fit in,” instead of just spending all your energy on being who you really are. A group of friends are suppose to have things in common, but that is hard when everyone is putting up a fake persona. It is the student body’s responsibility to make sure that everyone has a place they can fit in and be themselves. People spend their whole lives trying to “fit in,” while the people who “stand out” are the ones who become something. Think

That the need to fit in by participating doesn’t make them a bad person, that statement is of little consequence to the victims or their families. Excuses made by parents, bystanders, and the community no longer hold up in a legal setting. Hearing anti-bullying messages from the different adults in their lives can reinforce the message for kids that bullying is unacceptable. More than half of bullying situations (57%) stop when a peer intervenes on behalf of the student being bullied (Hawkins, Pepler, & Craig, 2001. Prevention is

In the article title “Individuality vs. Conformity: The Healthy Middle?” by an anonymous high school student it says that there are only two thing that a typical high school student wants to typically achieve in their short high school life (par. 1). One of these things is to fit in (par. 2). The second one is to be different (par. 3). How could you do this?. You could choose to be individual or just conform. However I really maintain the idea that what we should really do it's to stay in the middle so we won't forget who we really are and still be liked by different groups of people.

In the article, “Why our approach to bullying is bad for kids” by Susan Portor talks about how our culture reacts to bullying in the school system. Bullying has been a worldwide epidemic in our school system. The children that are being bullied end up having emotional distress that can lead to depression, maybe bullying others to gain back some control, even hurting themselves and the extreme of committing suicide.

Over the past couple of decades, schools all across the nation have noticed a significant rise in the amount of bullying taking place among their students. “Two decades ago, bullying was often seen as a rare occurrence, where small groups of parents sought protection for their children with the school district”, stated by Vikki Healy Ortiz, writer of the article “New inclusive approach helps schools fight bullying”. However, the same cannot be said for our society in today’s world. Our modern world has advanced tremendously over the past few decades and there are even more opportunities for children to be susceptible to feeling isolated from others because they are simply unique. In today’s society, children have the potential to bully each other outside of the classroom as well.

Like any other school there were the “cool” kids and the “not-so-cool” kids and like most people I longed for the feeling of fitting in. I tried so hard to buy the right clothes and to talk the right way. I became so caught up in my own life that I did not take a second to stop and think of someone other than myself. Last year, in eight grade, I had the chance to be apart of the “it” group, but during that time I lost myself. Peer pressure had pushed me into a corner where I was unable to think for myself and as a result I lost my ability to establish my character.

A school is a place that is comprised of a diversity of students. This is what makes a school so extraordinary; children of all different interests and personalities come together to learn. Though, there are many for factors that establish a school other than academics and learning. So many schools have a ranking system, where students are constantly racing to become more and more popular. There is an athletic group of students, the intelligent group, the band group, the gossip group, and many more. People feel as if they need to change themselves just to fit in. Imagine a student walking into school, changing the way they act, the clothes they wear, the food they eat, the friends they make, all in attempt for popularity. The sad truth is that these students will do anything to fit in, including drugs, smoking, or anything that affects them negatively. It is like a seperation between students based

“In the teenage years, young people begin their quests for identity” (Bellows 2). According to Dr. Amy Bellows in her article “Your Teen’s Search for Identity”; our teenage years is the time period when we scour for an identity, although we find a struggle to find our true identity. Status symbols, forbidden behaviors, rebellion, idols, and cliquish exclusion are the most common ways in which us as teenagers struggle with our identity (Bellows 2-7). In other words, peer pressure and self-esteem are some of the factors that can mislead us from the path towards our “ideal” identity. Furthermore, searching for an identity influences one’s future.

We all want to stand out of the crowd and be something special, but not all of us have the potential. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be about education, parents can be very protective over us and hold us back from socializing with friends, especially from the opposite gender, which makes it harder for us teenagers to belong to a group.

Bullying has always been recognized as a normal part of growing up; therefore, most people in the past have not given bullying much thought. Bullying is often thought as “kids being kids” or a “rite of passage,” but it is much more of a problem than just being a kid (Maughan 2). According to the U.S. Deparment of Education, over 13 million students are bullied each year, and over 160,000 students avoid going to school because they are bullied (Maughan 1). Students who feel so threatened by bullying that they do not want to go to school demonstrates just how much bullying can change a child’s life. Bullying is a serious problem, and a child’s life could be dramatically changed by being terrorized at school. (Maughan, 1-2)

My high school experiences have become imprinted into my memory and parts of me. I changed entirely from the first day I walked in as a freshmen to the last day I walked across the stage with my diploma. Not only do I look different but I act, think, and understand differently. I realize now that an individual’s character is largely constructed by other people’s opinions, unwritten rules, and a subliminal hierarchy. The reality of high school makes it difficult to escape the ideal image of a perfect student, friend, respectful significant other, and model child. With all these different forces pulling students back and forth, the primary goal is to be accepted; despite how much change one must undergo. From my high school experiences I know how to deal with labelling, peer pressure, alienation, and cliques. Thus my former high school social lessons and knowledge allow me to reshape my perception, values, and self-image to this day.

While being a teenager and starting high school a lot of people are trying to fit in. Relating to a teenage girl, they tend to change a lot to try and

The desire to fit in with peers can be a very strong influence on teens.