On the first day of high school, kaitlin overhears a group of girls calling her "goth" and "emo." she soon begins to don more black clothing, dark makeup, and seek out friends who dress the same. this is an example of

This is an example of "role playing".

Role-playing refers to the changing of one's conduct to expect a part, either unknowingly to fill a social part, or intentionally to showcase an embraced part. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it means as "the changing of one's conduct to satisfy a social part" 

The structure of this question is confusing :T