Cliques Making the Clique Ask seventh graders what is most important to them and they will most likely answer being popular. During pre-adolescence, kids begin to look for identity in groups and belonging is often the primary goal of the middle school years. The pre-occupation with fitting in can be so strong in the middle school years that grades begin to drop while cliques begin to form.
Kids begin to take on the personality of their group.
Branching out can even mean losing popularity in your own group. If you re, like, with the most popular people and you re talking to the no-names they just, like, the popular people take you out, explains Josh, age 15. Once a child is ridiculed or outcast, it can be very difficult to change the label. Research shows kids who are rejected in middle school are more likely to become aggressive and engage in high risk behaviors. Child psychologist, Kenneth Hoats says parents of popular kids often make the problem worse by pushing popularity when they should encourage inclusiveness.