Is aggression associated with biased perceptions of one’s acceptance and rejection in adolescence

Bibliographic Data

ID9785891
AuthorsSarah T Malamut (0000-0001-5907-2752, corresponding author), Claire F Garandeau (0000-0002-0395-020X), Daryaneh Badaly (0000-0003-3156-7774, Child Mind Institute), Mylien T Duong (0000-0001-9648-3518), Mylien Duong, David Schwartz (0000-0002-3989-8546)
Year2022
Volume58
Issue5
Pages963-976
Publication date2022-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueDevelopmental Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0012-1649 • E-ISSN: 1939-0599
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/dev0001333
PMID35298193
OpenAlexW4220840496
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited19

In adolescence, being rejected by one's peers is positively associated with aggression. However, whether self-perceptions of being rejected or accepted by peers, and biases in these perceptions, are linked to aggression remains unclear, as the literature points to 2 perspectives: Youth are more likely to be aggressive when they (a) know or believe that they are rejected or (b) overestimate their acceptance. By addressing some of the limitations of prior studies, this study aimed to clarify how self-perceptions of status are related to concurrent and future aggression, and whether high levels of aggression are predictive of biased self-perceptions of acceptance and rejection. Data were collected in 2 consecutive school years from 572 high school students ( M age = 15.06, SD = .75; 55.4% girls). The ethnic/racial composition of the sample was 47.5% Asian, 43.1% Latino/Hispanic, 4.0% White, and 5.3% other. For well-liked youth, awareness of one's acceptance was positively associated with concurrent relational aggression, whereas for highly rejected youth, awareness of one's rejection was positively associated with concurrent overt aggression. Awareness of being rejected (i.e., high levels of both self-perceived and actual rejection) was associated with elevated levels of aggression over time. There was no evidence that youth with high levels of aggression had more biased perceptions of their status (concurrently or longitudinally) than youth with low levels of aggression. These findings help clarify how youth's status-related perceptions relate to the development of aggression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Aggression · Developmental psychology · Ethnic group · Injury prevention · MEDLINE · Perception · Poison control · PsycINFO · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies

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