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Socio-Cognitive Processes and Peer-Network Influences in Defending and Bystanding
J Ashwin Rambaran1,2, Tiziana Pozzoli3, Gianluca Gini3
1Interdisciplinary Social Science (ISS) and European Research Centre on Migration and Ethnic Relations (Ercomer), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. j.a.rambaran@uu.nl.
Journal of Youth and Adolescence
|July 8, 2022
Summary
Adolescents’ friendships influence their defending and bystanding behaviors during bullying. Peer networks shape social cognitions like self-efficacy and moral distress, highlighting the crucial role of friends in adolescent social development.
Area of Science:
- Social psychology
- Developmental psychology
- Adolescent behavior
Background:
- Peers significantly influence adolescent social dynamics, particularly during bullying incidents.
- Understanding the role of friendships in shaping defending and bystanding behaviors is crucial for intervention.
- Social cognitions, including self-efficacy and moral distress, are linked to bystander and defender roles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how friendships influence defending and bystanding behaviors in adolescents.
- To investigate the impact of peer relationships on social cognitions related to defending and bystanding.
- To explore the development of these behaviors and cognitions within adolescent social networks.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal social network analysis was employed.
- Stochastic actor-oriented modeling was used to analyze network dynamics.
- The study included 1354 early and middle adolescents (7th–10th grade) in northern Italy.
Main Results:
- Adolescents tended to become more similar to their friends in defending and bystanding behaviors.
- Perceptions of self-efficacy and moral distress also converged among friends.
- No significant evidence suggested that adolescents actively selected friends based on similar behaviors or cognitions.
Conclusions:
- Friendship networks play a key role in shaping adolescent defending and bystanding behaviors.
- Social cognitions associated with these behaviors are developed and reinforced within peer groups.
- Interventions should consider the influence of peer dynamics on prosocial and antisocial behaviors during bullying.
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