Through adolescents the individual is not necessarily their own individual, but an individual with the identity of their group. Cliques and crowds are the major influences on an adolescent's identity. Cliques and Crowds Cliques and crowds are what controls the lives of many adolescents. Cliques are smaller crowds. They involve greater intimacy among the members, and have more group cohesion than crowds.
Crowds are the largest groups and least personal of adolescent groups.
Coleman's study is one of the most widely cited studies on adolescent cliques and crowds. Coleman took students from different high schools and asked the students to identify which student's are the most athletic and most popular. The result was that the students who were most athletic and popular were recognized more than the over achieving academic students. There are many different cliques and crowds in high schools around the world. The crowds that existed when I went to high school were the Jocks, Stoners, Gangsters, Preppies, and the Popular Crowd.