Text

theses

Interpersonal conflict and social status are two fundamental features of groups. Scholars have examined the nature of the relationship between conflict and social status among adolescents in schools. They find that conflict, broadly defined to include aggression, can lead to decreases in some status measures and increases in others. I rely on theories of the origins of status hierarchies (Gould 2002) and interpersonal conflict (Gould 2003), along with findings from previous research, to inform tests of the relationship between conflict and social status in schools. Specifically, I use a large and diverse sample of middle school students to explore how conflict affects social status mobility for boys and girls in the sample. I use two measures of status: social preferences, which captures how well-liked students are, and brokerage status, which captures how centrally positioned students are in their networks and their ability to broker ties. I also explore how conflict with friends (who are generally similar in terms of status), relative to conflict with non-friends, matters for the relationship between conflict and brokerage status for students who have at least one conflict tie with schoolmates. Findings reveal that increases in conflict are negatively associated with social preference, but positively associated with increases in brokerage status for all students. When the sample is limited to students who have at least one conflict tie with others, I find that going from having conflict with non-friends at the beginning of the year to having conflict with friends at the end of the year, is associated with increases in brokerage status for boys. Gender differences in friendship structure and dynamics may explain why conflict with friends is not instrumental to status for girls. Ultimately, I suggest that participation in conflict may signal to others that one is socially involved in school life, which in turn helps students become more well-known and occupy unique central positions in the school network. Additionally, going from challenging non-friends to challenging friends, reflects that one understands social norms regarding who is an appropriate target for dominance competitions (i.e., those similar in status, like friends). Contributions to the research and implications for school-based personnel are discussed.

ETD_10684

Ph.D.

Includes bibliographical references

doi:10.7282/t3-a9tp-cm19

ETD doctoral

The author owns the copyright to this work.