The road to popularity can be paved with unpleasantness
Study shows aggressive, disruptive children leverage conflict into status


Date:
April 6, 2022
Source:
Florida Atlantic University
Summary:
A longitudinal study tested the novel hypothesis that aggressive and
disruptive children engage in frequent conflicts with classmates to
strengthen their position in the group and enhance their popularity.

Results revealed that higher initial levels of peer-reported
aggression and disruptiveness were associated with increases in
peer-reported popularity over the course of a semester, particularly
for children who reported frequent disagreements with peers.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Popularity is important to children and adolescents. Some think it is
more important to be popular than to have friends, because popularity is
a marker of prestige, dominance and social status. Some children become
popular through prosocial means. Other popular children, paradoxically,
are disruptive and aggressive.


==========================================================================
A longitudinal study by researchers at Florida Atlantic University tested
the novel hypothesis that aggressive and disruptive children engage in
frequent conflicts with classmates to strengthen their position in the
group and enhance their popularity.

Results of the study, published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences,revealed that higher initial levels of peer-reported
aggression and disruptiveness were associated with increases in
peer-reported popularity over the course of a semester, particularly
for children who reported frequent disagreements with peers.

Because aggression usually arises within the context of a conflict, it
follows that conflicts with aggressive children carry an implicit threat
of harm. To avert aggression, classmates are apt to submit, which provides visible evidence of dominance and promotes short-term gains in popularity.

"Although we think it unlikely that contentiousness alone is a
foundation for popularity, it may signal to peers a willingness to
deploy discord to achieve ends," said Brett Laursen, Ph.D., senior
author and a professor of psychology in FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College
of Science."Because conflict contains the potential for escalation, it amplifies dangers that can arise when aggressive and disruptive children
are crossed. Aggressive children who are frequently in conflict need
not always resort to coercion; the mere prospect of unpleasant behavior
may persuade others to submit." Study participants included a diverse
sample of Florida children ages 8 to 12, attending a primary school
whose population mirrored that of public school students in the state
in terms of ethnicity and socioeconomic status.

"A similar process appears to work for disruptive children, although
less pronounced. Submission in response to a disagreement with a
disruptive child avoids irritating classmates who are aware of the
risks of antagonizing someone who is willing to unsettle the group to
get their way," said Laursen.

The researchers emphasize that by itself, conflict is not a means to
peer status. However, they say that it can be an effective tool that
amplifies conspicuous attributes that undergird some forms of popularity.

"We do not claim that conflicts used in this manner are a healthy avenue
to well-being. The consequences of conflict depend on the context, the
aims and the ways in which it is managed," said Laursen. "We do claim,
however, that disagreement can be an efficient social strategy that
leverages the implicit threat of coercion into dominance, bolstering
popularity through reminders rather than actual displays of aggression
and disruption." Other study co-authors are Michael Yoho, graduate
student; and Sharon Faur, doctoral student, FAU Department of Psychology.

This research was supported by a grant from the United States Institute
of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health
(HD096457) awarded to Laursen.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Florida_Atlantic_University. Original written by Gisele Galoustian. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Michael Yoho, Sharon Faur, Brett Laursen. Conflict moderates the
longitudinal association between aggression with classmates and
popularity: Leveraging disagreements into peer status. Personality
and Individual Differences, 2022; 190: 111538 DOI:
10.1016/j.paid.2022.111538 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220406101817.htm

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