I'm in the camp that it really depends on the group.

Cliques sounds inherently bad to me, like tight-knit groups that purposefully exclude and mock others. That's not a positive thing, obviously!

But tribes... I think tribes can be a wonderful, affirming, awesome things. To me, tribes imply finding people that share your values and interests, where you feel comfortable enough to be yourself. It's the idea of finding where you best fit in the world, which really (to me) means figuring out who you are, at your very core.

I want that - I feel lost at my core, and definitely haven't found my tribe yet.

There's also something else.. I've been reading about how, as social creatures, humans *need* a "tribe". They need a community where they feel accepted and connected, for mental health. (I don't know where else to go with that, still pondering it myself I guess!)