title: Developing relationships, being cool, and not looking like a loser: social goal orientation predicts children's responses to peer aggression.
abstract: 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 situation-specific 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.
authors: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Department of Psychology, Champaign, IL 61820, USA. krudolph@illinois.edu
authors: Karen D
authors: KD
authors: Rudolph
authors: Jamie L
authors: JL
authors: Abaied
authors: Megan
authors: M
authors: Flynn
authors: Niwako
authors: N
authors: Sugimura
authors: Anna Monica
authors: AM
authors: Agoston
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D002648:Child; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007600:Judgment; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011340:Problem Solving; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior; D012933:Social Identification; D012938:Social Perception; D012944:Social Support; D012951:Socialization; D012963:Sociometric Techniques