Relationships among personal space boundaries, peer acceptance, and peer reputation in adolescents.

Abstract

Peer relationships are important to the health of adolescents who are at a developmental period of moving from parental influence to potentially dangerous peer influence. Interpersonal communication processes are logical antecedents of peer relationships. However, research in this area with adolescent populations is limited. Exploratory descriptive study using observational technique to collect nonverbal and verbal communication data on adolescents (N = 28). Observer ratings of personal boundaries and peer acceptance were correlated with anonymous peer ratings of sociability/leadership, aggressiveness/disruptiveness, and sensitivity/isolation, with comparisons made between males and females. Boundaries are related to peer acceptance and peer reputation and are interpreted differently in males and females. This study provides beginning evidence of the usefulness of Personal Space Boundary Theory in understanding adolescent behavior.