High school subcultures
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A high school subculture is comprised of a group of high school students with identifiable and distinctive traits. (Such a group can also be known as a 'clique' or 'clic'.) High school subcultures frequently identify with a larger subculture extant in the society as a whole, although some are high school specific. Some groups associate easily; others have traditional animosities. Not all of these subcultures exist in a given high school; regional differences and even radical differences in extant subcultures between nearby high schools exist. The name for a substantially similar subculture in two different places is also often different. Some subcultures (e.g. jocks and nerds) are quite old; others (e.g. goths) are relatively new.
Although this term is prevalent in the United States, it has been related by anecdotal evidence that such subcultures exist internationally.
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Examples
Examples of high school subcultures are:
- ABC: American Born Chinese-takes secondary pride in their heritage. FOB's and ABC's are often viewed as either enemies or friends in the extreme of both.
- Advanced Placement students. Are interested mainly in schoolwork and grades, and are often particularly interested in literature, history, politics and science. Often overlap with nerds, geeks, choir, band geeks, orchestra dorks and debaters.
- Alternative: students bent on avoiding the mainstream. Associated in the 1990s with alternative music. Frequently overlaps with druggies, goths, and artsy; sometimes gay/lesbian, as well.
- Artsy students: those interested in photography, drawing, fashion, etc. Frequently overlaps with theatre and druggie groups.
- Auto shoppers: students who are enrolled in auto shop, wood shop, and/or other skilled labor-preparatory classes.
- Bandos or band geeks: students taking marching band, concert band, and/or other musical instruments.
- Cheerleaders: female students who are part of the cheerleading squad, often extremely popular; traditionally girlfriends of jocks. Often overlaps with the in-crowd, female jocks, and wannabe-preppies.
- Chess clubbers: See nerd.
- Choir / chorus students.
- Debaters: students taking debate and forensics.
- Emo kids: students who listen to emo music and/or partake in the emo subculture (dyed long hair, tight sweaters and jeans, "emo glasses"); some who are simply highly emotional in character may also be labeled as emo. Frequently overlaps with alternatives, artsies, goths, and punks.
- In-crowd, popular, or the beautiful people: students who pride themselves on being very popular with other students and who would like to view their 'club' as socially advanced and exclusive. Often overlaps with jocks and wannabe-preppies.
- Jocks: students with interests in participatory athletics; traditional enemy of nerds.
- Nerds or geeks: students with interests in math, sciences, computers, etc.; traditional target of jock bullying.
- Orchestra dorks: students who participate in orchestra.
- Rejects: socially ostracized students.
- Pseudo-Rejects: Lacking membership in any group but also not actively or even passively ostracized by the general student body, Pseudo-Rejects socialize among themselves, taking pride in what they perceive to be their unique status. Since the mentality is not sincere, they can overlap with almost any group.
- SpookyKids: often confused for (and believe they are) goths. Listen to alternative rock/rock- typicaly dressed in dark, punkish clothing and wear excessive jewelry on their arms/wrists.
- Skaters: students who are obsessed with skateboarding or other extreme sports. Often overlaps with punks and druggies.
- Student Government participants.
- Theater: students who frequently participate in student theater productions. Often overlaps with artsy.
- Wannabe-preppies: those identifying with the upper classes and preparatory school subcultures, although they do not at all belong to that subculture. Stereotyped as "clean-cut" and wearing "fashionable," expensive clothing. Frequently overlaps with jocks and the in-crowd. The term twinkie has overlapped with this subculture, concerning the Asian demographic.
- Teenage mothers: Pregnant teenagers. Frequently seen as outcasts by other school groups. Another stereotype is that they have really bad fathers/boyfriends.
- FOBs: In areas with many recent immigrants from Asia. Often are separated completely from Asian Americans in dress and language. FOB term is also relevant in high schools in the Australasian region but tends to be more closely associated with Pacific Island immigrants than with Asian immigrants,
- Ravers: students who regularly attend raves, a kind of all-night dance party.
Some high school subcultures are high-school "cross-sections" of more general subcultures:
- Caucasians, Gringos : In areas with a large hispanic population, the caucasian (white) students can form their own subculture.
- Druggies, stoners, burnouts: students who take illicit drugs, especially marijuana.
- Goths: listen to music of the gothic genre. typically characterized by dark clothing, outlandish hair and clothing styles, many piercings, and 'dark' interests/worldview, frequently overlaps with alternative.
- Gangsta: may or may not actually engage in street gang activities, depending on the area. In areas with little or no actual gang activity, a subculture identifying with the gangster subculture (through e.g. slang, clothing, and music) often nonetheless develops, most likely through positive depictions of gangsters as cool outlaws in the media. Frequently overlaps with druggies.
- Hip Hoppers
- Hippies: identifying with the hippie subculture. Frequently overlaps with druggies and artsy.
- Latinos: in areas with a significant Hispanic population;
- Punks: identifying with the punk rock subculture. Frequently overlaps with druggies and alternative
- Redneck: identifies with the traditional white Southern United States subculture. Frequently overlaps with jocks, agricultural- and shop-class groups.
Note that many of the subcultures may also have a sub-subculture. Examples include choir students who are taking madrigal chorus and their friends.
Within each group may be several different strands, depending on the size of the group; for example, at a large school, within the set of 'jocks', there may be individual sub-subcultures of those who are cross country runners, football players, volleyball players, tennis players, swimmers, etc.
Defunct high school subcultures
Some high school subcultures have declined and died out.
Typical Behavior
- Associating socially with other members of the same group
- Eating lunch or spending free time together
- Wearing similar clothes
- Using similar slang
- Participating in a specific official extracurricular activity together
Crossover
Being a member of one high school subculture does not always prevent someone from being in another subculture. For instance, a person may be in band and chorus and be a jock. However, many groups are exclusive and known membership in one group would prevent membership in another.
For example, the In-Crowd (popular people) would not knowingly have a member who was also in the rejects subculture. These groups typically have high amounts of mutual distrust, usually due to social ostracization (being mean, name-calling, stereotyping, etc.).
Switching from one mutually-exclusive subculture to another is possible but not necessarily easy or quick. Students who do this invite much examination and discussion (and potentially, ridicule) of their lives by other high school students. The more drastic the change, the more such a transition would be discussed and noted.
Psychological Development
Carl Jung, the famous psychologist, noted that most people go through several stages in their lives - infant, toddler, child, adolescent / young adult, adult, middle age, old age. During each stage, people change their behavior patterns due to both internal and external decisions. These decisions may be conscious or not. During adolescence, people decide who they want to be, and how they want to typically act. This process involves trying out different concepts-of-self, and deciding if the result fits, is pleasant or unpleasant, and how their many talents enable them to succeed or not succeed with that persona.
Trying on a different personality (as one would try on a shirt) is a natural part of growing up and discovering oneself.
Thus, joining a high school subculture is a method of exploring what life would be like with a personality that included the values and common decisions that people in that subculture commonly have and make.
Frequently, students will join a specific subculture and not examine why they are there, merely going along with what other people expect of them. Anecdotal evidence (not any firm scientific study) might tend to indicate that 'going along with the crowd' might tend to lead to many undeveloped life skills and unhappiness later in life. However reasonable as this supposition is, further studies or notations of existing studies might show if this is or is not true.
Politics and Success in Adult Life
Many works of fiction have been made that highlight how people in a specific high school subculture 'succeed' in life after high school.
Some comments are possible looking at prominent, successful individuals and determining if their subculture membership was in any way distinctive or predictive. Some politically successful famous people (for example, President Bill Clinton) showed their ability in high school to be very able to cross subculture boundaries, and make friends with people who have vastly different interest areas.
However, while it is possible for a person to change their life entirely upon graduation, this typically does not happen. Most people who are in a science club 'geek' subculture go on to use that interest and knowledge in their adult lives as technical professionals. Likewise, most 'in-crowd' people (who can be viewed as understanding social dynamics on a more intuitive level) go on to professions in sales, marketing, and personnel management (NOTE: anecdotal evidence, firm studies are not in evidence).
Movies
Famous movies have been made highlighting the differences between and among high school subcultures.