Othering – The Top Barrier to Social Progress

Kids in middle and high school form social groups. Each social group is based on commonalities and is usually called a clique. We are all familiar with them. We are also all familiar with the fact that certain social groups are dominant – the athletes, along with the cute cheerleaders and their friends, as examples. These dominant cliques define group boundaries for “admission,” and those who do not meet their criteria will never be a part of their social groups.