There’s a new club at school dedicated to an activity you love: say, anime, Fortnite, knitting or community service. Do you join? Why, or why not? What, if anything, would get you to sign up?
In “I’m Not a Joiner. Was I Born That Way?” Jessica Grose writes about her wariness of group activities:
I’ve always had the Groucho Marx approach to group activities, which is to say, I don’t want to be part of any club that would have me as a member. I’m often skeptical of institutions, their exclusionary tactics and their hidden agendas, which makes me a good journalist (and arguably a good Jew, because we love to question everything).
I also have an aversion to being told what to do by my peers, which is why I’ve dropped out of every book club I’ve ever joined after a single meeting. Once a book becomes an assignment, reading it starts feeling like a chore, rather than a pleasure. I’m lucky enough to have many strong family, friend and workplace relationships that I’ve built up over the years, and many obligations through my children’s schools, so I’ve never felt that I have an unmet need for social interaction.
I’ve wondered whether this disinclination to join has something to do with my somewhat introverted personality. Or is it my upbringing? I come from a long line of suspicious cranks. Or was it cultural? After all, belonging to groups of all kinds has declined over time for Americans. In 2011, Pew Research reported that “75 percent of Americans are active in one kind of group or another.” In 2019, Pew reported that 57 percent of Americans “participate in some type of community group or organization.” A few readers of my series also asked whether there was some sort of intrinsic quality that makes people joiners or not, and I wanted to find out.
After looking at the research and talking to research psychologists, I’d bet that my lack of desire to join groups is probably a combination of all those things: personality, identity, family environment and the wider culture, but with one surprising (to me, at least) twist. Religiosity, specifically, could have a minor genetic component to it.
According to Zachary Hohman, an associate professor of psychological sciences at Texas Tech University who studies group behavior, there are multiple motivations for joining groups, but uncertainty — “not really knowing who you are, where you belong in your society” — plays a major role. The more uncertain you are about your sense of self, the more likely you are to join a group, which can give you guidance on “what to think, how to feel and how to behave,” Hohman told me when I called him in August. Teenagers and young adults may be particularly enthusiastic about joining groups because their sense of self is more in flux — which may partly explain the enduring popularity of Greek life at American universities.
Students, read the entire article and then tell us:
Are you a joiner? Do you enjoy being part of a group, club or team? Or, like Ms. Grose, are you more skeptical of organized activities?
If you identify as a joiner, why do you think that is? Does it have something to do with your personality, how you were raised, or some other circumstance? What do you get from being part of a group?
If you’re not a joiner, what makes you less enthusiastic about organized activities? Where else do you find social interaction, a sense of identity, community and belonging?
Whether you consider yourself a joiner or not, which clubs, groups, teams or organizations are you a part of? Tell us about one that has been particularly meaningful to you and why.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
