Developing Relationships, Being Cool, and Not Looking Like a Loser: Social Goal Orientation Predicts Children's Responses to Peer Aggression

• Published in: Child development Vol. 82; no. 5; pp. 1518 - 1530
• Main Authors: Rudolph, Karen D., Abaied, Jamie L., Flynn, Megan, Sugimura, Niwako, Agoston, Anna Monica
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.09.2011; Wiley-Blackwell
• Subjects: Aggression; Aggressiveness; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child development; Child psychology; Children; Correlation; Demonstrations; Developmental psychology; Elementary School Students; EMPIRICAL ARTICLES; Friendship; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Goal Orientation; Goals; Grade 2; Grade 3; Health; Human aggression; Interpersonal Competence; Interpersonal Relationship; Intervention; Judgement; Judgments; Peer relationships; Prediction; Problem Solving; Psychological stress; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Retaliation; Self perception; Social Adjustment; Social development; Social goals; Social interaction; Social perception; Social psychiatry; Social status; Student Attitudes; Human; Social development; School age; Social behavior; Peer relation; Social interaction; Aggression; Goal pursuit; Predictive factor; Child
• ISSN: 0009-3920; 1467-8624
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01631.x

This research explored the contribution of social goal orientation, specifically, development (improving social skills and relationships), demonstration-approach (gaining positive judgments), and demonstration-avoidance (minimizing negative judgments). Children (N = 373; M age = 7.97, SD = .34) were followed from 2nd to 3rd grades. Validity of the social goal orientation construct was established through correlations with situationspecific goals and social adjustment. Development goals predicted adaptive responses (more effortful engagement, problem solving, advice seeking; fewer involuntary responses); demonstration goals predicted maladaptive responses (less effortful engagement, problem solving; more disengagement, retaliation). This study contributes to theoretical understanding of the process of peer aggression and interventions to promote optimal social health.