What is popular? Distinguishing bullying and aggression as status correlates within specific peer normative contexts

Abstract This study tested social status correlates of aggression and bullying and how these are influenced by peer groups’ normative beliefs about aggression and prosocial behavior among 1165 fourth, fifth and sixth graders in Chile. Associations between aggression and popularity (positive) and social preference (negative) were confirmed, whereas bullying was negatively associated with both dimensions. Normative beliefs about aggression and prosocial behavior were assessed at the group level, while social status was assessed at the classroom level through peer nominations. Hierarchical Linear Analyses showed that in groups with a higher value associated with aggression, classmates rated aggressive peers as less popular but also less disliked. The status correlates of bullying remained unaffected by peer normative beliefs. The discussion focuses on the social function of aggression as compared to the social sanction associated with bullying, and on the specificity of these associations at different layers of the social ecology.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Palacios,Diego, Berger,Christian
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Curso de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2016
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-79722016000106105
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