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Peer Groups, Social Identity, and Children's Bullying Behavior
Author(s) -
Duffy Amanda L,
Nesdale Drew
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
social development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.078
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1467-9507
pISSN - 0961-205X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9507.2008.00484.x
Subject(s) - friendship , psychology , conceptualization , peer group , developmental psychology , identity (music) , social identity theory , social psychology , peer victimization , peer relations , social group , poison control , human factors and ergonomics , physics , artificial intelligence , computer science , acoustics , medicine , environmental health
Drawing on social identity theory, this study explored the impact of the peer group on childhood bullying. Participants were 351 students, aged 8 to 13 years. Involvement in bullying, friendship group membership, norms of particular groups, and intra‐group positions (prototypical vs. peripheral) were determined using peer reports. Results revealed within‐group similarities in bullying behaviors. In addition, bullying was found to be greater when it was endorsed by group norms and when children were prototypical vs. peripheral members of bullying groups. The implications of the findings for the conceptualization of childhood bullying are discussed.