Journal Article

The Two Faces of Adolescents' Success With Peers: Adolescent Popularity, Social Adaptation, and Deviant Behavior

Allen, Joseph P., Marsh, Penny, McFarland, F. Christy, Porter, Maryfrances R., McElhaney, Kathleen Boykin

2005

Overview

This study assessed the hypothesis that popularity in adolescence takes on a twofold role, marking high levels of concurrent adaptation but predicting increases over time in both positive and negative behaviors sanctioned by peer norms. Multimethod, longitudinal data, on a diverse community sample of 185 adolescents (13 to 14 years), addressed these hypotheses. As hypothesized, popular adolescents displayed higher concurrent levels of ego development, secure attachment, and more adaptive interactions with mothers and best friends. Longitudinal analyses supported a popularity-socialization hypothesis, however, in which popular adolescents were more likely to increase behaviors that receive approval in the peer group (e.g., minor levels of drug use and delinquency) and decrease behaviors unlikely to be well received by peers (e.g., hostile behavior with peers).

• Publisher: Blackwell Publishing,Blackwell Publishers,Blackwell,Oxford University Press
• Subject: Achievement / Adaptation / Adolescence / Adolescent / Adolescents / Alcohols / Antisocial Behavior / Antisocial Personality Disorder - diagnosis / Antisocial Personality Disorder - psychology / Biological and medical sciences / Child, Preschool / Childhood / Developmental psychology / Deviance / Deviant behavior / Deviant behaviour / Ego / Empirical Articles / Female / Friendship / Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology / Hostility / Humans / Interpersonal Relations / Longitudinal Studies / Male / Mothers / Parent Child Relationship / Peer Acceptance / Peer Group / Peer groups / Peer relations / Peer Relationship / Peer relationships / Personal Construct Theory / Personality Development / Popularity / Predictor Variables / Psychology, Adolescent / Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry / Psychology. Psychophysiology / Social Adjustment / Social Behavior / Social Desirability / Social Dominance / Social interaction / Social norms / Social Perception / Socialization / Student Adjustment / Student Behavior / Youth / Youth culture