Q: I am writing a paper on why teens cling to specific groups or
cliques during their adolescent years, and I wanted a professional opinion on
the matter. Please get back to me as soon as you can. Thank you!

A: Adolescents are developmentally supposed to go through a process of breaking away from their parents (to a certain extent) to find their own identity. This typically begins in middle school and continues on into high school. During this time period their peers become more important and have more influence over them than their family much of the time. Teens have to separate from what they have always known to try new things and explore new identities. While trying to “find themselves” they are usually drawn to others who seem similar to them and have some of the same interests. By going through this process many times you find comfort in being part of a larger peer group which is partly responsible for the presence of cliques. You may not be so sure of yourself outside of the larger group. Good luck on the paper.

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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 24 Oct 2006