Peer Rejection Developmental Processes and Intervention Strategies

by Bierman, Karen L.

• ISBN13: 9781572309234
• ISBN10: 1572309237
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-10-23
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

Addressing the widespread and painful problem of chronic peer rejection, this volume combines up-to-date research and practical strategies for school- and clinic-based intervention. An innovative developmental framework is presented for understanding why certain children face rejection, the peer group dynamics involved, and implications for social-emotional development and mental health. Strategies for assessing rejected children are discussed in detail, with attention to individual social competence variables as well as transactional influences. Clear guidelines are delineated for planning and implementing effective social competence coaching programs, as well as multicomponent interventions and school-based strategies. Providing invaluable recommendations for practice that are solidly grounded in the empirical literature, the book is illustrated throughout with revealing case studies and interviews.

Author Biography

Karen L. Bierman, PhD, is currently Director of the Children, Youth, and Families Consortium (CYFC) at The Pennsylvania State University, where she is Distinguished Professor of clinical child psychology. Her research has focused on understanding how peer relationships contribute to children's social-emotional development, social competence, and school adjustment. Dr. Bierman is particularly interested in the design and evaluation of programs that promote social competence and positive intergroup relations and that reduce aggression and violence. Currently, she is the director of the Pennsylvania site of the Fast Track Program, a national, multisite prevention trial focused on preventing antisocial behavior among high-risk youth, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (with additional funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the U.S. Department of Education). She is also Coinvestigator of the newly funded PROSPER program, supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which involves the diffusion of empirically supported prevention programs to schools through the use of cooperative extension-facilitated university/n-/community partnerships.

Table of Contents

PART I. Understanding Problematic Peer Relations
The Developmental Significance of Peer Relations	3	(14)
Developmental Progressions	4	(1)
Peer Rejection versus Peer Neglect	5	(2)
Peer Acceptance versus Friendship	7	(1)
Understanding Social Competence	8	(1)
Peer Contributions to Rejection Processes	9	(2)
Chronic Peer Rejection: A Negative Developmental Spiral	11	(2)
Impact of Developmental Research on Interventions for Rejected Children	13	(1)
Gender and Cultural Differences	13	(2)
Summary	15	(2)
Characteristics of Rejected Children	17	(17)
Prosocial and Aggressive Behaviors	17	(5)
Aggressive--Accepted versus Aggressive--Rejected Problem Profiles	22	(4)
Inattentive/Immature and Socially Anxious/Avoidant Behaviors	26	(3)
Inattentive Social Profiles, with Concurrent Aggression or Anxiety	29	(3)
Summary	32	(2)
Rejection Processes: The Role of Peers	34	(13)
Peer Influences: Modeling, Reinforcement, and Provocation	35	(4)
Reputational Biases, Ostracism, and Victimization	39	(5)
Niches of Opportunity and Risk	44	(1)
Summary	45	(2)
Peer Relations and the Developing Self	47	(24)
Social Information-Processing Models of the 1980s	48	(4)
The Functional Significance and Adaptive Value of Self-System Processes	52	(2)
Affect and Self-System Development	54	(7)
Self-System Processes and Self-Conceptions	61	(4)
Risk or Protection?	65	(1)
Implications for Intervention	65	(2)
Summary	67	(4)
PART II. Assessing Social Competence and Peer Relations
Assessment Goals and Strategies	71	(15)
Purposes and Goals of Assessment	71	(3)
Using Multiple Assessment Methods	74	(2)
Conceptualizing Social Competence	76	(8)
Summary	84	(2)
Assessing Problematic Peer Relations	86	(16)
Assessing Peer Liking and Disliking	86	(7)
Assessing Friendships	93	(4)
Assessing Social Networks	97	(2)
Assessing Victimization	99	(2)
Summary	101	(1)
Assessing Social Behavior	102	(21)
Peer Nominations and Ratings	103	(6)
Teacher Ratings	109	(11)
Parent Ratings	120	(1)
Summary	121	(2)
Observing Peer Interactions	123	(18)
Naturalistic Observations	124	(5)
Contrived-Setting Observations	129	(7)
Intervention Applications	136	(3)
Summary	139	(2)
Assessing Self-System Processes	141	(20)
Self-Views versus Peer and Teacher Ratings	143	(3)
Social-Cognitive Reasoning about Others	146	(4)
Social Self-Conceptions and Experiences of Social Distress	150	(3)
Attributional Style and Control Beliefs	153	(2)
Implications for Intervention Planning and Evaluation	155	(1)
Summary	156	(5)
PART III. Intervention Methods
Approaches to Intervention	161	(24)
Operant Strategies: Manipulating Antecedents and Consequences	162	(2)
Initial Instructional Approaches: Modeling and Social Problem Solving	164	(1)
Initial Coaching Strategies	165	(5)
Coaching Programs of the 1980s	170	(5)
Adapting Coaching Programs for Aggressive--Rejected Children	175	(2)
Social-Cognitive Interventions to Reduce Aggression	177	(2)
Moving into the 21st Century: Where Are We?	179	(4)
Summary	183	(2)
The Design of Social Competence Coaching Programs	185	(34)
Guiding Principles	186	(3)
Components of Coaching Sessions	189	(5)
Program Content	194	(14)
Program Structure and Organization	208	(10)
Summary	218	(1)
Intervention Process and the Promotion of Self-System Change	219	(17)
The Functional Value of Relational Schemas and Their Resistance to Change	221	(2)
Promoting Change in Self-System Processes	223	(2)
Creating a Supportive Context for Change	225	(3)
Providing Autonomy Support to Promote Self-Control	228	(3)
Increasing Causal Understanding and Perceived Competence in Interpersonal Relations	231	(2)
Behavioral Management: To Token or Not to Token?	233	(1)
Summary	234	(2)
Collateral Interventions: Providing Support at School and Home	236	(16)
Multicomponent Interventions for Children with Externalizing Behavior Problems	237	(4)
``Universal'' School-Based Social Competence Interventions	241	(3)
School-Based Approaches Utilizing Cooperative Learning	244	(3)
``Indicated'' Programs to Enhance the Acceptance of Target Children: Creating Niches	247	(2)
Promoting Positive Social Development at Home: Parent Contributions	249	(2)
Summary	251	(1)
Future Directions	252	(7)
Program Characteristics	253	(2)
Mechanisms of Change	255	(1)
Peer Involvement	256	(2)
Conclusion	258	(1)
Appendix. Description of Exemplar Session Activities	259	(10)
References	269	(22)
Index	291