Interpersonal Behaviors and Peer Relationships

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Interpersonal Behaviors and Peer Relationships
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Interpersonal Behaviors

• Aggressive
• Hurting another physically or psychologically
• Prosocial behaviors
• Helping another
• Empathy, sharing, caring
• Aggression and Helping
• Nature or Nurture?

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Aggressive Behaviors

• Instrumental aggression
• Seen in younger children
• Hostile Aggression
• Proactive
• Unprovoked Intended to dominate or coerce
• Reactive
• Defensive

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Aggressive Individuals

• Lack perspective taking/empathy
• Lack skills
• Social
• Problem Solving
• Hostile Attributional Bias
• Misinterpret social cues
• High need for dominance or power

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Breaking the Cycle of Aggression

• Watch for
• The build up of frustration
• Defensiveness
• Focus on behavior
• Teach Self-Control
• How to deal with the aggressive act
• Get assistance
• Keep self and students safe
• Help aggressive student to gain control

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Prosocial Behaviors Eisenbergs Model

• Caring as part of Moral development.
• Empathy, sympathy and care are key emotional
  components to prosocial behavior.
• Eisenbergs model is one of orientations not
  stages.

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Eisenbergs Orientation levels of sympathy/empathy

• Hedonistic, pragmatic
• Preschool, early elementary
• The right behavior is the one that satisfies a
  child's own needs. To help or not to help is
  decided on the basis of "what's in it for me."
• Superficial Needs-of-others
• Preschool, early elementary
• Awareness of other people's needs, and decisions
  made in keeping with these, but actually taking
  the perspective of the other person eludes the
  child.
• Stereotyped, approval behavior
• Elementary school
• Stereotypical images of good and bad are used to
  determine what should be done. Approval is of
  great concern.
• Empathic
• Older elementary and high school
• Person can take the perspective of another and
  feel empathy for them. These abilities influence
  moral decision making.
• Internalized values orientation
• Small minority reach this level
• Moral decision are based on a set of personal
  values and norms that maintain the rights of all.
  Living up to one's own values is the goal.

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People (and Kids) Help when

• They feel connected or responsible.
• When others misfortunes are beyond the victims
  control.
• When they dont think it will cost them as much
  as it will get them.
• (What levels of empathy do these convey?)

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What Can Teachers Do?

• Develop moral reasoning skills
• Teach social skills and problem-solving.
• Teach and model empathic responces.
• Establish rules and stick to them.
• Peer Mediation
• Cooperative Activities

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• Think of the most significant good thing that
  happened when you were 8 and when you were 15.
• Write down who you think the first person you
  talk with about it was.
• Think of the most significant bad thing that
  happened when you were 8 and when you were 15.
• Write down who you think the first person you
  talk with about it was.

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Peers

• Peers provide
• Social, emotional, and academic support
• Help identity formation
• Experimentation
• Group identity
• Support self-efficacy and self-esteem
  development.
• Provide opportunities to practice social skills

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BUT

• Peer pressure and exclusion factors lead to
  negative outcomes PARTICULARLY for rejected peers
  and sometimes for neglected peers.
• Rejected peers Children whom most kids DO NOT
  want to play with
• Neglected peers Children none of the kids think
  about playing with.

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Friendships and Social Groups

• Friendships
• Become more complex as children age
• Possessiveness and jealousy can characterize
  friendships at early adolescence.
• Social groups
• Clique
• Rigid boundaries of inclusion, influences social
  status
• Subculture
• resistance to dominant culture
• Gang
• Initiation rites, symbols, territory

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Supporting Positive Peer Relationships

• How would you support positive peer
  relationships?
• Neglected Peers?
• Rejected Peers?
• Controversial Peers?
• Average Peers?
• Page 573

• Provide opportunities and second chances
• Extracurricular activities
• Group work
• Opportunities for public recondition
• Remove barriers
• Children with special needs
• Be self-reflective and empathetic

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Being more than friends

• Dating
• Dating is often more about social norms than
  puberty.
• Sexual development
• Happens
• Social and personal issues
• Sexual Harassment
• Happens
• Being aware and finding support.

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Sexual Orientation

• Determinants of sexual orientation
• Sexual identity
• Gender identity
• Most gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are
  psychologically and socially happy.
• Some experience extreme social isolation,
  depression and fear.

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How to Deal with Sexuality

• Empathy
• Expect diversity
• Be aware of community standards, school
  expectations, and youth culture.
• Have appropriate information available.
• Deal with sexual harassment. (p. 588)
• Know where to go yourself and make referrals.