Adolescent peer crowds and self-esteem: Social identity theory, social mobility, and directions of influence

This one-year prospective study examined bi-directional links between the status of peer crowd membership and social self-concept among early adolescents; and evaluated several postulates of social identity theory as they apply to adolescent peer crowds. The sample consisted of 338 students who participated at the end of their sixth and seventh grades of middle school. Adolescents provided self-reports of peer-crowd membership, self-concept, substance use, and delinquent behavior; academic achievement information was obtained from school records. Results revealed bi-directional associations between crowd membership status and social self-concept for both boys and girls; however, these links appeared to be stronger for boys than girls. Findings also support expectations derived from social identity theory: (1) status of crowd membership was related to and predicted at least one dimension of adolescent self-concept; (2) adolescents appeared to engage in social mobility; and (3) social mobility (an increase in crowd membership status) was linked with an increase in social self-concept. In addition, behavioral differences among the groups provide evidence of validity to the self-reported crowd memberships. An important finding also highlighted emerging evidence that adolescent popularity---particularly among affluent populations---is associated with a range of risky behaviors. Here, adolescents affiliated with "popular" crowds in seventh grade reported greater substance use than all but "druggie" crowds, and greater involvement in delinquent activities than "normal" crowds. Overall, this research highlights the considerable role that crowd membership plays in adolescent peer relations and development, and supports the continued application of social identity theory to further our understanding of adolescent peer crowds and social relations.