Categorization of People at Parties
Many people do not agree about the characteristics of the different kinds of people who attend parties. Sociologists have not been left out too. Some of the different characteristics overlap among the different classifications. There are people who like parties while others do not. There are those who have group interests while others have self interests. In addition, there are people who socialize easily at parties while others have a hard time socializing. People can be classified into four groups based on the way they socialize at parties, their interests and attitudes toward parties.
There are people who enjoy parties and view them as a platform to socialize. They are the kind of people who generally like the idea of social events. They can be found in all kinds of parties such as graduation, birthday and beach parties. They like to interact with other people. They are likely to be approachable and reciprocating. They are always in the company of close friends, males or females who may be social or non-social. They all attend parties together, but the friends may be there just to support them. Individuals in this classification are the group-motivated with regard to attending parties. They are likely to be involved in the planning of a party. They are talkative, but tend to be cautious in recruiting friends into their knit circle of friends. They are likely to dominate others. They can also be reluctant in allowing people they do not like into the party. These people are focused on expanding the friendship platform for their benefit and for the benefit of both new and old friends. They tend to base their friendship on the principle of give and take. They have developed listening skills because they are honest. Conclusively, they are interested in parties because they increase opportunities for bonding with one another.
Another classification of people includes those who like the idea of parties and are motivated to interact with other people mainly because they have selfish interests. They are likely to be accompanied by either close friends or other friends who are not so close. Individuals in this classification look for the opportunities to escape from their friends and meet new ones. They try to be charming and considerate because they want an acceptance. When they are ignored at a party, they easily move to a new person whom they intend to socialize with. Alternatively, they may retrieve to their group but will carrying on with approaching new people later. Men in this classification tend to seek casual relationships with women; they are intended to lead to a more intense socialization platform or sex. They approach women for mere fun or the need to challenge their ego. In addition, men are likely to be with male friends who are successful in picking women in the hope that they might get close to women or their friends. Women in the same classification tend to enjoy the party and meet new male and female friends. New female friends will be chosen on the basis of likable characteristics such as same interests, success and confidence. New male friends will be chosen on the basis of some of or all of the above characteristics. In addition, male friends who are charming, honest, creative and dependent will be picked from the range of friends at the party.
There is another classification of people who attend parties but do not enjoy them. They accompany their friends and can also be alone. The reason why some people in this classification may go to a party alone is because they were invited and they did not want to decline. They may pretend to like a party though they may not be enjoying. They tend to feel awkward and shy about approaching new people to start conversations. Even when they get introduced to someone, the ensuing conversation becomes forced or stilted. If they are in the company of friends, they tend to be together most of the time. When they are not in the company of friends or if their friends are not around, it becomes difficult to break into the group conversations. Especially, it is hard if people at the party seem to be organized in bunches of friends. Even when their friends are around and are engaged in a group conversation together, they are likely to be confused about when to speak out or stand out in the conversation. This mostly happens when the discussion is intense, loud or energetic. Alternatively, people may avoid social interaction because they feel they do not belong to the social class that characterizes the party. They may also feel that introductions and casual talk will not lead to any other level of interaction. They have already set social boundaries for themselves. Such people tend to take more alcohol in order to distract themselves from the feeling of loneliness. They are likely to take alcohol in order to break the social boundary they have consciously or unconsciously set. They may also drink for fun or to pass the time. They realize that they depend on alcohol to do several things and are not happy about it.
Another categorization of people who attend parties includes people who are socially anxious at parties, but are not completely aware of it. They welcome the idea of parties though they do not completely realize that they drink a lot in order to dull their nerves and be able to socialize. They are likely to talk about other memorable parties in which they drank a lot or did weird, outlawed or extraordinary things. They are likely to remember parties for what happened after people were drunk. Using alcohol also helps them approach people and introduce themselves. It also helps them do the things they want to remember. When they party, they want to be the happiest among the attendants. Alcohol also enables them express a feeling to their friends. For example, drunken men and women may seek to have many conversations with persons of the opposite sex in order to prove to their close friends that they still look appealing. They may do so to trigger a jealous feeling in their partners. Once a partner feels jealous, he or she may become cautious about his or her relationship. People who cause jealous feelings are also anxious about their relationships. In this categorization of people, drunken men are likely to become violent and rude while women tend to be argumentative and adventurous. Adventure in these parties is sought through acts such as dancing and use of hard drugs.
To conclude, people can be classified into four groups based on the way they socialize at parties, their interests, and attitudes toward parties. There are people who enjoy parties and view them as a platform to socialize. They focus on group participation. There are others who like the idea of parties and are motivated to interact with others for selfish interests. The third group is composed of people who attend parties, do not enjoy the party, but they do not have a choice. In addition, there are others who are socially anxious at parties, drink a lot in order to dull their nerves and thus be able to socialize; they are not completely aware of it.