Reciprocal influences of victimization, perceived social preference, and self-concept in adolescence

In order to better understand self-concept development, the association between adolescents' social self-perceptions and their peers' perceptions of them was examined in a three-year longitudinal study of 491 middle school students. Each spring for three years, adolescents' peer-perceived victimization, metaperceptions of their social preference by peers (i.e., Who likes me the most/least?), and self-reported social self-concept scores were obtained. The associations among these constructs across time were examined with structural equation modeling. The results supported a model in which adolescents' reputations as victims of peer harassment influenced both their subsequent metaperceptions of social preference and their self-concept. Additionally, bi-directional influences were found between adolescents' self-concepts and their metaperceptions of social preference over time. The discussion highlights the practical implications of the associations between adolescents' peer experiences and their social perceptions and underscores the utility of longitudinal designs for uncovering the temporal order in which self, meta- or other perceptions influence each other.