RELATING AGGRESSIVE AND VICTIMIZATION BEHAVIORS TO CHILDRENS SOCIOMETRIC STATUS AND FRIENDSHIPS

The present study examined peer nominations of pupils in Grades 3-6 (9 -12-year-olds) for aggressive and victimization behaviors in relation to peer group sociometric status (popular, average, rejected) and numb er of mutual friends (reciprocal nominations). Rejected children, rela tive to other children, were perceived as higher both in aggression an d in being victimized (both physically and verbally) and had the small est number of mutual friends. In addition, the mutual friends of rejec ted status boys were perceived as higher in being victimized than were the friends of other children. Neither level of aggression nor level of victimization predicted number of mutual friendships. However, sign ificant positive correlations for both aggressive and victimization be haviors were revealed between popular and average status children and their mutual friends, and these congruences were not found between rej ected status children and their mutual friends. This research highligh ts the complexity and importance of evaluating the form and function o f social behaviors within multiple levels of children's peer social re lationships.