Abstract
Peer cliques form an important context for the social development of adolescents. Although clique members are often similar in social status, also within cliques, status differences exist. How differences in social status between clique members are related to behaviors of its individual members is rather unknown. This study examined to what extent the relationship of individual social status (i.e., perceived popularity) with aggression and prosocial behavior depends on the level of internal clique hierarchy. The sample consists of 2674 adolescents (49.8 % boys), with a mean age of 14.02. We focused specifically on physical and relational aggression, and practical and emotional support, because these behaviors have shown to be of great importance for social relationships and social standing among adolescents. The internal status hierarchy of cliques was based on the variation in individual social status between clique members (i.e., clique hierarchization) and the structure of status scores within a clique (pyramid shape, inverted pyramid, or equal distribution of social status scores) (i.e., clique status structure). The results showed that differences in aggressive and prosocial behaviors were particularly moderated by clique status structure: aggression was stronger related to individual social status in (girls’) cliques where the clique status structure reflected an inverted pyramid with relatively more high status adolescents within the clique than low status peers, and prosocial behavior showed a significant relationship with individual social status, again predominantly in inverted pyramid structured (boys’ and girls’) cliques. Furthermore, these effects differed by types of gender cliques: the associations were found in same gender but not mixed-gender cliques. The findings stress the importance of taking into account internal clique characteristics when studying adolescent social status in relationship to aggression and prosociality.
Highlights
During adolescence, peers become increasingly important for the social and emotional development of adolescents (Rubin et al 2006)
This study examined to what extent the relationship of individual social status with aggression and prosocial behavior depends on the level of internal clique hierarchy
The results showed that differences in aggressive and prosocial behaviors were moderated by clique status structure: aggression was stronger related to individual social status in cliques where the clique status structure reflected an inverted pyramid with & Kim Pattiselanno k.l.pattiselanno@rug.nl
Summary
Peers become increasingly important for the social and emotional development of adolescents (Rubin et al 2006). Social status differences between cliques are accompanied by distinct characteristics and behaviors of members of those cliques, most prominently aggressive and prosocial behaviors (e.g., Adler and Adler 1998; Closson 2009; Garandeau et al 2011) Both behaviors are found to be more pronounced in higher status cliques, reflecting the associations between social status among peers and aggression and prosocial behavior on the individual level (e.g., Cillessen and Rose 2005; Dijkstra et al 2009; Ellis and Zarbatany 2007; Peters et al 2010). Positive values of this measure imply clique hierarchies with a pyramid shape, whereas negative values indicate an inverted pyramid with relatively more clique members having a high status than a low status
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