INFORMAL STATUS AMONG ADOLESCENTS: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

The paper provides a systematic review of the literature related to informal (or peer) status among adolescents. First, the most important sociological, developmental, and evolutionary perspectives of informal status are presented, followed by a review of the behavioral and personality correlates most widely discussed in the empirical literature. These correlates are athleticism, aggression, prosocial behavior, risk behavior, academic performance, academic engagement, physical attractiveness, involvement in romantic relationships, leadership abilities, and the Big Five personality traits. Since the bulk of the empirical literature comes from the educational context, where adolescents spend the largest portion of their time, this literature and its most frequently used status dimensions (acceptance, coolness, popularity) are the focus of the paper. The review also pays attention to ethnic and gender differences in status dynamics while acknowledges the importance of different cultural contexts. Implications of our current knowledge and future directions for research are also discussed.