The Only Way To Behave In A Group Analysis

The manner in which a person behaves in a group reveals a lot about who they are as a person. Do they lead? Do they follow? Are they the catalyst-type or the mediator? My friend circle is extremely diverse in culture, experiences, and beliefs. In fact, we're so different that the only thing that really connects us is Jrotc. Our thoughts are quite unique and personal to each individual, but for some reason, when we're all together, all our individuals thoughts seem to meld together.

I removed myself from my friend group but still stayed within ear shot of them. As I watched my friends huddle around each other, it's very clear who the dominate voice was. It was Eric. He determined what they talked about, what was funny, and ultimately what they thought about his topic. Among these topics, were videos making fun of Al Qaeda terrorists. Everyone knows that that is a serious issue with a lot of emotional baggage. Yet... they were laughing. A couple people acknowledged the crudeness of his sense of humor but they laughed anyway for the sake of being part of the group. I feel as teenagers, we try to stay away from awkward situation so we just go along with what everyone else is doing. It's "group-think." It only takes one dominant voice and people will follow suit like a badelynge following their mother in a straight line and never deviating from the rules set before them.
Personally, I do a lot of my thinking before hand. I develop a mindset before entering any group situation. I try to avoid groups most of the time but when I decide to jump in... I go all in. I think I do this because I have quite the dominant personality and love to be seen as an