Popularity- Madeline

Popularity Madeline W.

We all understand the basic concepts of popularity. Students form groups, or cliques (pronounced klicks), based on gender, beauty, body shape, charisma, athletic abilities, likes, dislikes, and other prominent differences. These groups fight, and they normally do not interact with students from lesser groups. Learn more about this social structure.

How does popularity work?

Students split up b e i n g into groups, or cliques, based on prominent differences. Students that have better bodies, more athletic ability, and more beauty normally dominate and rule over the other groups.

Sometimes, people move up and down the different cliques when they change mentally and physically. People can be shunned for being ugly, unmotivated about school and/or grades, fat, mentally challenged, where they live, and their clothing choice. This can be extremely depressing for some students, and they have committed suicide for not having any friends and for not

p op u lar. Although this system is extreme in middle school, it not as severe in elementary and high school. Students will mold their lives around their peer’s opinions. Sometimes, students and/or cliques will bully “lesser” students from lesser cliques. In reality, popularity is not like a pyramid, with a large group of unpopular people, but like a diamond, that tapers at the bottom as well as the top. In other words, there is a small group of unpopular people as well as popular people. Popularity is mostly based on alliances. Knowing and being friends with more popular people can make

someone more popular. They will bully someone less popular, do pranks, wear makeup, get a boyfriend or a girlfriend, all to catch the attention of the more popular people. People will try to get the attention of more popular people, and they will try to

spend time with the popular person in order t o l o o k cool. Sometimes, students will smoke, or do drugs in order to look cool. Popularity is also based on other student’s opinions, as well as individual attractiveness.

Why are some people popular, and others not?

There are several reasons as to why some people are popular and others are not. One reason is that some students have abilities, like being extremely smart, that their peers envy. This makes their peers not like them very much, dubbing them unpopular. Another reason is that they just don’t care. These are the students who are so focused on school and making good grades, they just don’t care about being popular or cool. They would rather focus on being advanced rather than focus on things like seeing how many friends they have. It’s like balancing a glass of water on top of one’s head while playing soccer. The other players can easily overcome them (unless they are some sort of water balancing, soccer playing world champion) because

they have to focus their entire attention span on the glass of water. Also, popular people don’t want to lose their status by hanging out with unpopular people. A popular person can be shunned by their friends if they are caught hanging out with a “lesser” person from a lesser clique. Some people can be naturally popular. They may be effortlessly beautiful, they might have a natural talent for sports, they could be really nice, or they could be the sibling of an older popular person.

Now For The Sciencey Stuff

Extrovert is a fancy word to describe someone who is focused mainly on their physical appearance. Surprisingly, this type of person

appeals

to

the

human

brain. This is because they have speedy, energetic behavior, friend-

be popular because of their aggression. Others find the fact that they break rules and/or defy adults attractive. Other times, they are so positive and charming that it makes up for the fact that they are mean and aggressive.

movements,

vantage over their peers. They can “get inside the head” of another person, find out what annoys them, and their opinions, so that they can persecute them to get control. The

A 2002 study in the British funny thing is, aggressive, mean,

ly facial expressions, self-assured body

These people also have another ad-

fashionable Journal of Developmental Psychol- scary people are seen to be popu-

dress, a healthy body, and a pretty ogy showed that more popular kids lar. But being popular and being face. They are more likely to re- were able to answer questions liked are two entirely different veal their personality to others.

Researcher Patricia Hawley defines popular, controlling people as bistrategic controllers. They use

based on how someone else would things. Someone, a bully, uses fear, think in a situation. The less popu- manipulation, pain, and strength to lar children did not do very reign control over his peers. He is well. The more popular children popular,

but

he

is

not

positive and negative routes to con-

were also found to be better at no- liked. Everybody knows just how

trol their peers. For example, they

ticing when someone was directly scary he is, so he is one of the most

manipulate others, they are aggres-

lying, versus when the other per- popular people in the school. But

sive, they take from their peers, but

son had just made an honest mis- no one likes him. With older kids,

they are also charming and positive. Sometimes, these people can

take.

This is what makes more intimidation and unkindness only

popular people to be able to work work on the surface. other students better.

How People Rise to the Top People can get popular many ways. Intimidation and bullying are some more aggressive routes that people will sometimes choose. They will persecute their peers, spreading rumors, and saying mean things to them. This will make the persecuted student lose popularity, and the bully will take their place. Then, they will continue in their quest to gain popularity. When students go down the intimidation route, they inflict fear on their fellow peers and force their way into popularity. Another way is from connections. Some

people will cozy up to popular people and try to befriend them. They will do the popular person favors, and try to get into their inner circle or clique. This is not an aggressive route, but it can annoy the heck out of the popular person. The least common way to gain popularity is to just be nice to other people. Most people do not go for the kindness route, because some students will take advantage of it.

Bibliography "Google." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2015.

Graham, Paul. "Why Nerds Are Unpopular." Why Nerds Are Unpopular. N.p., Feb. 2003. Web. 06 Nov. 2015.

Kaufman, Scott Barry. "Popularity at First Sight." Psychology Today. N.p., 27 Dec. 2010. Web. 06 Nov. 2015.

Social Crowd. Digital image. Http://www.spruceadvisers.com. Spruceadvisors, n.d. Web. Turgeon, Heather. "The Science behind What Makes Kids Popular." Babble. Disney, 05 Sept. 2012.

Web. 06 Nov. 2015.