AGGREGATION AND AMPLIFICATION OF MARGINAL DEVIATIONS IN THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF PERSONALITY AND MALADJUSTMENT

Some social maladjustment in children is understood from a new perspec tive focusing on the cyclical interaction between personality variable s and social psychological processes in the development of risk mechan isms. A profile of originally marginal deviations between a child and peers on selected behavioural tasks and personality functioning is a r isk indicator of eventual significant perturbations in social adjustme nt. The aggregation of reciprocal effects between the child's behaviou r and the reactions of teachers and peers becomes amplified over time into increasingly greater deviations and more negative reactions. Our multi-causal model centres the 'at-risk' child within a complex psyche -social system and identifies a series of processes that influence beh aviour along this path of transformation from marginal to significant social deviation. Empirical support for aspects of this model is emerg ing from a long-term, longitudinal study with Italian school children.