Peer Status in Emerging Adulthood: Associations of Popularity and Preference With Social Roles and Behavior

Although peer status has been studied extensively in childhood and adolescence, little is known about social status in peer groups of emerging adults. The current study filled this gap by testing whether preference and popularity are distinct dimensions of peer status and uniquely associated with social behavior in emerging adulthood. Participants were 235 18- to 25-year-old emerging adults in a professional college who completed a sociometric instrument. Popularity and preference were moderately correlated. Both types of status were positively related to prosocial leadership and negatively to social exclusion. Popularity was positively related to dominant leadership and relational aggression, whereas preference was negatively related to relational aggression. The results were compared with findings in adolescence and their generalizability to emerging adults in other social contexts was discussed.