Social Aggression and Social Position in Middle Childhood and Early Adolescence: Burning Bridges or Building Them?

Abstract

Because the mechanism of harm used in social aggression generally involves the manipulation of peer relationships, it is important to consider its social correlates. The current paper uses social dominance theory as a frame to review developmental research on social aggression perpetration and three indicators of social position: sociometric status, perceived popularity, and social network position. Consistent with social dominance theory, social aggression is positively associated with indicators of social position that reflect influence in the peer hierarchy (i.e., perceived popularity and social network position). However, these behaviors are also negatively associated with indicators of social position that reflect likeability (i.e., sociometric status), suggesting that they are not without social trade-offs. Thus, depending on how social position is operationalized, social aggression can be associated with building or burning bridges to peers. Potential moderators and implications for intervention within school-based contexts are discussed.