Conformity And The Loss Of Self-Independence In High School

In America today, high schools hold home to the perfect definition of what conformity truly is. Kids walk into high school as independent and self-sufficient people, yet leave as clones of a social group. Simply “fitting in” has turned into changing clothing, thoughts, and actions to match that of the preferred social group. The amount of peer pressure that is linked into conformity causes bullying, and the loss of self-independence in high school students. The first thing students attempt to accomplish upon entering high school is making friends. The majority seeks out kids with similar tastes and styles. Once friends are made, groups are formed. These groups, or cliques have a certain image formed by the members of the group. Jocks, nerds,
High school is the stage when kids can be exposed to drugs, sex, and alcohol. Whether or not someone participates in any of these activities has become a decision by the clique, instead of a decision by the individual. For some reason, participating in these three things is the key to popularity in high school. Saying no to drugs, sex, or alcohol has become extremely difficult considering the likelihood of becoming an outcast if doing so. Once conforming into a group, the peer pressure gets worse. The individual feels compelled to reflect his or her clique in participating in drugs, sex, and alcohol. If the clique is known to drink alcohol every weekend, the members will be pressured to follow up on this. Praise and respect is always given to those that act according to the way their social group is known to act. It’s not right that kids are participating in illegal acts in order to fit in. Committing these acts should be a decision by the individual, not the
Once conformed, students will treat others according to the way their social groups interact. Two of the most prominent examples would be how the jocks and cheerleaders take advantage of the nerds. Jocks slam them into lockers, steal their money, and stuff them into trashcans. Cheerleaders flirt with them just so the nerds will do their homework for them. The reason? Bullying can bump you up to a highly respected status in the clique. In almost every group, bullying of others is praised. Each group thinks it is superior to Medlin 3 others, and for that reason, thinks there is a right to bully the others. Bullying has become a major problem in high school. Kids can be damaged physically and emotionally for the rest of their lives. Bullying would be at an all time low if conformity did not exist. Without conformity, bullying would be looked down upon. No one deserves the pain that is caused by