Popularity in the Peer System

In recent years, the field of child and adolescent peer relations has moved beyond the study of peer rejection to turn its attention to popularity as well. This is the first volume to synthesize current knowledge in this growing area of research, examining what popularity is, how it is attained, and its connections to both healthy and maladaptive developmental outcomes. Exploring die complexities of social power in die peer group-and overturning some common misconceptions along the way-leading researchers present innovative methods, ideas, and findings.

The book clarifies how popularity is distinct from being accepted or well liked. Rather, to children and adolescents, "being popular" implies high social status and visibility and is associated with both positive and negative attributes.

Particular emphasis is given to die risks and benefits of being popular. The volume reviews research linking popularity to substance use, poor academic performance, and other adjustment problems. Contributors also address die positive side of popularity, including its association with social competence and leadership abilities. Throughout the book, implications for prevention and intervention with adolescents are highlighted.

continued from front flap Comprehensive and authoritative, this thought-provoking book is a unique addition to the professional libraries of researchers and practitioners in developmental, clinical, school, and educational psychology; counseling; and related disciplines. Graduate students will find it an informative and accessible text.

Antonius H. N. Cillessen, PhD, is Professor and Chair of Developmental Psychology in the Behavioural Science Institute and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Social Science at Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Dr. Cillessen's research interests include peer relationships in childhood and adolescence, popularity, aggression and antisocial behavior, the development of social cognition, and research methods for developmental psychology (sociometric methods, social network analysis, observational research, and longitudinal design and analysis). He has served on the editorial boards of Developmental Psychology, the Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, and the International Journal of Behavioral Development.
David Schwartz, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Dr. Schwartz's research is broadly concerned with the links between social problems in the peer group during childhood and adolescence and the development of psychopathology. He has published widely on topics related to bully/ victim problems in school peer groups, community violence exposure, peer relationships across cultural contexts, friendship, aggression, and popularity. Dr. Schwartz has also served on the editorial boards of Child Development, Developmental Psychology, and the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.
Lara Mayeux, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Dr. Mayeux's primary research interests are peer relationships and the development of peer status in middle childhood and adolescence, with a particular focus on popularity. Her work, funded by the National Science Foundation, has focused on behavioral, social-cognitive, and gender issues in popularity.