Describe the differences between cliques and crowds, and how they develop

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

In early adolescence, peer groups become increasingly common and more tightly structured. They are organized into cliques, groups of about five to eight members who are friends and, therefore, usually resemble one another in family background, attitudes, values, and interests. At first, cliques are limited to same-sex members. Among girls but not boys, being in a clique predicts academic and social competence. Clique membership is more important to girls, who use it as a context for expressing emotional closeness. By mid-adolescence, mixed-sex cliques become common.
Among Western adolescents attending high schools with complex social structures, often several cliques with similar values form a larger, more loosely organized group called a crowd. Unlike the more intimate clique, membership in a crowd is based on reputation and stereotype, granting the adolescent an identity within the larger social structure of the school. Crowds in a typical high school might include "brains" (nonathletes who enjoy academics), "jocks" (who are very involved in sports), "populars" (class leaders who are highly social and involved in activities), "partyers" (who value socializing but care little about schoolwork), "nonconformists" (who like unconventional clothing and music), "burnouts" (who cut school and get into trouble), and "normals" (average to good students who get along with most other peers).
Crowd affiliations are linked to strengths in adolescents' self-concepts, which reflect their abilities and interests. Ethnicity also plays a role. As interest in dating increases, boys' and girls' cliques come together. Mixed-sex cliques provide boys and girls with models for how to interact with the other sex and a chance to do so without having to be intimate.