Home > Encyclopedia of Psychology > Cliques

A group of people who identify with each other and interact frequently.

The term clique has two levels of significance. In its neutral usage by social researchers, it denotes a group of people who interact with each other more intensively than with other peers in the same setting. In its more popular form it has negative connotations. It is used to describe an adolescent social group that excludes others on the basis of superficial differences, exercising greater than average amount of peer pressure upon its members. The numerous terms teenagers use to describe themselves and others—such as jocks, druggies, populars, brains, nerds, normals, rappers, preps, stoners, rockers, punks (punx), freaks (phreaks), and skaters—exemplify both levels of meaning in the word "clique." These terms both accurately refer to the activities...