Peer status has an important impact on children’s peer relationships. Developmentalists used sociometric status to determine how well students were liked or disliked by their peers. The determined that there were five different peer statuses. First are popular children, they are frequently nominated as a best friend and are rarely disliked by peers. These children have numerous social skills that contribute to their popularity. Second, are average children, this group received an average number of both positive and negative nominations from their peers. Third, are neglected children, they are infrequently nominated as a best friend but are not disliked by peers. Neglected children normally engage in low rates of interaction with peers, and are described as shy. Fourth, are rejected children, they are infrequently nominated as someone’s best friend and are actively disliked by peers. Rejected children tend to have serious adjustment problems. Finally, are controversial children, these children are frequently nominated as someone’s best friend and as being disliked.
Peer relationships are important because the relationships give children the ability to learn social skills that will be important to them throughout their lives. Children need skills to initiate and maintain social relationships and to resolve social conflicts. Also, children without peer relationships are missing opportunities to build social self-confidence. Therefore they do not develop the ability to achieve interpersonal goals and become overwhelmed by social interaction.
There are four different factors that contribute to peer relationship problems: social behavior, differentness, family problems, and reputation. Social behavior is when children exhibit some ineffective social behavioral pattern that can cause them to be rejected by their peers. For example, some children may behave in an aggressive or disruptive manner or some may be withdrawn from their peers. Differentness is when children are rejected by their peers because they are perceived to be different. This tends to occur when children are from a different ethnic group or sex, are physically unattractive or handicapped, or are newcomers to the classroom. Family problems cause children to act out which cause rejection from peers, or they could be reluctant to bring friends home and avoid creating close friendships. Reputation is a social outcast that is difficult to change. Even when children overcome the circumstances that led to peer problems, their reputation will usually stick with them.
There are four strategies to help children overcome peer relationship problems: social skills training, intervention for related problems, nonthreatening social experience, and cooperative classroom projects. Social skills training can help children learn new interpersonal skills. This training can help them learn different ways to make peer interactions mutually satisfying and productive. In some cases children who are exhibiting peer problems are also having other problems. In some cases children that also have academic problems may need intensive academic intervention or children with family problems may need counseling. Some children find large groups to be overwhelming. Therefore they need to experience nonthreatening social experiences. It is important for them to be given opportunities to interact in smaller groups and be encouraged to develop interests that will provide a natural basis for interacting with others. Finally, cooperative classroom projects can foster peer acceptance for children who are trying to fit in with classmates. These groups allows students who would normally avoid working together the opportunity to interact.
My opinion:
I would say that growing up I was classified as one of the popular children. I never had a hard time fitting in and I always had friends. However, throughout the years I have watched my cousins and other kids that I am close to struggle with peer status. No one likes to be the rejected child, and rejection has an effect on one’s self confidence. The one thing that I do remember from elementary and middle school was the cliques that caused problems in peer relationships. It wasn’t necessarily that peer statuses changed, but your status in a certain clique may change. And not being invited to be a part of a certain clique caused a huge amount of rejection. Peer status is large part of life no matter what age. However, I think the older and more mature you become the less you pay attention to peer statuses, but it is a huge part of middle to late childhood.
What do you think?
Sources:
Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
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