Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine both the linear and the curvilinear relationships amongst perceived and sociometric popularity and aggression in early adolescence. The study sample consisted of 423 volunteer students who were chosen through random sampling from 8th grade students who were attending 19 elementary schools in Turkey. Before examining the study hypotheses, gender differences in aggression, perceived and sociometric popularity were examined. The study findings revealed that boys’ physical, verbal and indirect aggression and anger scores were higher compared to girls. There was no significant gender difference in sociometric and perceived popularity. In addition, aggression scores of boys and girls had a negative linear effect on sociometric popularity, whereas they had a positive linear effect on perceived popularity. Curvilinear relationships showed that girls were more preferred by their peers when their anger scores were low and high, but their level of perceived popularity was slightly reduced at higher levels of physical and verbal aggression. Curvilinear relationships revealed that boys were preferred less at lower levels of verbal aggression. The curvilinear effect of aggression on perceived popularity was not statistically significant for boys.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Borch, C., Hyde, A., & Cillessen, A. H. N. (2011). The role of attractiveness and aggression in high school popularity. Social Psychology Education, 14, 23–39.
Bourduin, C. M., & Schaeffer, C. M. (1998). Violent offending in adolescence: Epidemology, correlates, outcomes, and treatment. In P. Thomas & V. D. Gullotta (Eds.), Delinquent violent youth (pp. 144–174). Thousand Oaks: Sage Pub.
Buss, A. H., & Waren, W. L. (2000). Aggression questionnaire: Manuel. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
Campano, J. P., & Munakata, T. (2004). Anger and aggression among Filipino students. Adolescence, 39(156), 757–764.
Can, S. (2002). Validity and reliability of the scale called “Aggression Questionnaire” (Unpublished doctorate dissertation). Gülhane Askeri Tıp Akademisi, Ruh Sağlığı ve Hastalıkları Servisi Şefliği, İstanbul.
Carney, A. G., & Merrell, K. W. (2001). Bullying in schools: Perspectives on understanding and preventing and international problem. School Psychology International, 22, 364–382.
Cillessen, A. H. N., & Borch, C. (2006). Developmental trajectories of adolescent popularity: A growth curve modelling analysis. Journal of Adolescence, 29, 935–995.
Cillessen, A. H. N., & Mayeux, L. (2004). From censure to reinforcement: Developmental changes in the association between aggression and social status. Child Development, 75, 147–163.
Cillessen, A. H. N., & Rose, A. J. (2005). Understanding popularity in the peer system. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14, 102–105.
Coie, J. D., Dodge, K. A., & Coppotelli, H. (1982). Dimensions and types of social status: A cross-age perspective. Developmental Psychology, 18, 557–570.
Demir, N. Ö., Baran, A. G., & Ulusoy, D. (2005). Relations of adolescents with their peer groups-friends in Ankara and deviated behaviors. Bilig, 32, 83–108.
Demir-Şad, E. (2007) Comparıng self-esteem, social skills, behavior problems and school achievement of the rejected and the accepted chıldren in the elementary school (Unpublished master dissertation). Ankara University, Guidance and Psychological Counseling Department, Ankara.
Donat Bacıoğlu, S. (2014). Effectiveness of prevention programs reducing violence and aggression: A meta-analysis study. Türk Psikolojik Danışma ve Rehberlik Dergisi, 5(42), 294–304.
Donat-Bacıoğlu, S. (2011). The prevention of violence and aggression on children and adolescents (Unpublished doctorate dissertation). Dokuz Eylül University, Guidance and Psychological Counseling Department, İzmir.
Dumas, T. M., Davis, J. P., & Ellis, W. E. (2019). Is ıt good to be bad? A longitudinal analysis of adolescent popularity motivations as a predictor of engagement in relational aggression and risk behaviors. Youth & Society, 51(5), 659–679.
Dyches, K. D., & Mayeux, L. (2015). Popularity and resource control goals as predictors of adolescent ındirect aggression. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 176(4), 253–259. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221325.2015.1048661.
Engels, M. C., Colpin, H., Leeuwen, K. V., Bijttebier, P., Van Den Noortgate, W., Claes, S., … Verschueren, K. (2017). School engagement trajectories in adolescence: The role of peer likeability and popularity. Journal of School Psychology, 64, 61–75.
French, D. (1988). Heterogenity of peer-rejected boys: Aggressive and nonaggressive subtypes. Child Development, 59, 976–985.
French, D. (1990). Heterogenity of peer-rejected girls. Child Development, 61, 2028–2031.
French, D. C., Niu, L., & Purwono, U. (2016). Popularity of Indonesian adolescents: Do the findings from the USA generalize to a Muslim majority developing country? Social Development, 25(2), 405–421. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12148.
Guerra, V. S., Asher, S. R., & DeRosier, M. E. (2004). Effect of children’s perceived rejection on physical aggression. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 32(5), 551–563.
Günaydın, B., & Yöndem, Z. D. (2007). Investigation of peer attachment of adolescents in terms of some variables. Abant İzzet Baysal University Journal of Faculty of Education, 7(1), 141–153.
Gündoğdu, R. (2010). Assessment of conflıct, resolvıng, anger and aggressıveness levels of 9th grade students ın terms of certaın varıables. Çukurova University Journal of Faculty of Social Science, 19(3), 257–276.
Hawley, P. H., Little, T. D., & Card, N. A. (2008). The myth of the alpha male: A new look at dominance-related beliefs and behaviors among adolescent males and females. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 32, 76–88.
Karataş, Z. (2008). A comperative investigation of how psychological group counseling practices which are done by using cognitive behavioral techniques and psychodrama techniques effect the decreasing of adolescent aggression (Unpublished doctorate dissertation). Mersin University, Adana.
Karataş, Z., & Gökçakan, Z. (2009). Investigation of effect of group practices which are done by using psychodrama techniques on decreasing of adolescent aggression. Turkish Journal of Psychiatry, 20(4), 357–366.
Kennedy, E. (1995). Correlates of perceived popularity among peers: A study of race and gender differences among middle school students. The Journal of Negro Education, 64(2), 186–195.
Kim, K. (2018). Social preference, perceived popularity, athletic ability, and aggression among south Korean adolescents. Social Behavior and Personality, 46(7), 1157–1168. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.6958.
Kraft, C., & Mayeux, L. (2018). Associations among friendship jealousy, peer status, and relational aggression in early adolescence. Journal of Early Adolescence, 38(3), 385–407. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431616670992.
Kula, E. (2008). Examination of the relation between the hopelessness level and aggression status of the students of industrial vocational high school (unpublished master dissertation). Yeditepe University, Social Sciences Institute, İstanbul.
Kuryluk, A., Cohen, R., & Audley-Piotrowski, S. (2011). The role of respect in the relation of aggression to popularity. Social Development, 20(4), 703–717.
Laninga-Wijnen, L., Harakeh, Z., Steglich, C., Dijkstra, J. K., Veenstra, R., & Vollebergh, W. (2017). The norms of popular peers moderate friendship dynamics of adolescent aggression. Child Development, 88(4), 1265–1283. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12650.
Lu, T., Jin, S., Li, L., Niu, L., Chen, X., & French, D. C. (2018). Longitudinal associations between popularity and aggression in Chinese middle and high school adolescents. Developmental Psychology, 54(12), 2291–2301. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000591.
Mayeux, L., & Cillessen, A. H. N. (2008). It’s not just being popular, it’s knowing it, too: The role of self-perceptions of status in the associations between peer status and aggression. Social Development, 17, 871–888.
Mundy, J. (1997). Developing anger and aggression control in youth in recreation and park systems. Parks & Recreation, 32(3), 62–69.
Ögel, K., Yücel, H. & Aksoy, A. (2004). İstanbul’da Sokakta Yaşayan Çocukların Özellikleri. İstanbul: Yeniden Bilimsel Araştırma Raporları, No: 7, 9–14.
Orpinas, P. K., Engquist, K. B., Grunbaum, J. A., & Parcel, G. S. (1995). The co-morbidity of violence-related behaviors with health-risk behaviors in a population of high school students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 16(3), 216–225.
Prinstein, M. J., & Cillessen, A. H. N. (2003). Forms and functions of adolescent peer aggression associated with high levels of peer status. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 49(3), 310–342.
Puckett, M. B., Aikins, J. W., & Cillessen, A. H. N. (2008). Moderators of the association between relational aggression and perceived popularity. Aggressive Behavior, 34, 563–576.
Şakra, T. (1987). The effects of adjusting level and ages of children on the tendency to types of delinquencies (Unpublished master dissertation). Hacettepe University, Social Sciences Institute, Ankara.
Santrock, J. W. (2013). Life-span development (Fourteenth ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Companies.
Stevens, J. P. (2002). Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences (4th ed.). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
Stormshak, E. A., Bierman, K. L., Bruschi, C., Dodge, K. A., Coie, J. D., & the Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group (1999). The relation between behavior problems and peer preference in different classroom contexts. Child Development, 70, 169–182.
Stoltz, S., Cillessen, A. H. N., Berg, Y. H. M., & Gommans, R. (2016). Popularity differentially predicts reactive and proactive aggression in early adolescence. Aggressive Behavior, 42, 29–40. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21603.
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2001). Using multivariate statistics (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Walcott, C. M., Upton, A., Bolen, L. M., & Brown, M. B. (2008). Associations between peer-perceived status and aggression in young adolescents. Psychology in the Schools, 45(6), 550–561.
Wood, J. J., Cowan, P. A., & Baker, B. L. (2002). Behavior problems and peer rejection in preschool boys and girls. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 163(1), 72–88.
Yavuzer, Y. (2009). Investigation of the effect on high school students of the psycho-education programs towards preventing aggression (unpublished doctorate dissertation). Selçuk University, Konya.
Yavuzer, Y. (2013). Investigation of relationship between aggression and sociometric popularity in adolescents. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 13(2), 767–780.
Yavuzer, Y., & Üre, Ö. (2010). The effect of psycho-education program towards preventing aggression on decreasing aggressiveness of high school students. Selçuk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 24, 389–405.
Yavuzer, Y., Karataş, Z., & Gündoğdu, R. (2013). An investigation of conflict resolution behaviours: A quantitative and qualitative study. H. U. Journal of Education, 28(1), 428–440.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Conflict of Interest
On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yavuzer, Y., Karataş, Z. Associations between popularity and aggression in Turkish early adolescents. Curr Psychol 40, 5420–5429 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00515-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00515-3