Subgroups of Rejected Boys: Aggressive Responses to Peer Conflict Situations

Abstract

Evaluated strategies for resolving peer conflict among boys who varied with respect to peer status (rejected w nonrejected) and behavior (aggressive vs. nonaggressive). Using sociometric measures and the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist, 113 six year olds were screened to identify four subject groups: aggressive rejected, rejected nonaggressive, aggressive nonrejected, and controls who were neither rejected nor aggressive. Boys completed a task in which they reported solutions to hypothetical peer conflicts. In half of the situations intentionality was deliberate, and in half it was ambiguous. Responses were coded for physical aggression, indirect aggression, and assertiveness. Multivariate analyses indicated that aggressive-rejected boys used more indirect aggression, whereas aggressive-nonrejected boys used more assertiveness compared with other groups. Results suggest that the type of aggressive responding may be a better determinant of boys' social problems than the rate of aggression.