A Vicious Cycle of Student Conflict: Mutual Causality Between Conflict Involvement and Conflict Beliefs

• In Event: 30461 - Section on Children and Youth Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 1. Youth and Peer Relationships

Abstract

Peer conflict is a part of adolescent school life. Previous studies have discussed the impact of adolescents’ conflict beliefs and normative conflict beliefs on conflict involvement. However, few studies have explored reverse causality, that is, the effects of conflict involvement on conflict beliefs and normative conflict beliefs. Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that inconsistency between behavior and beliefs will lead to changes in beliefs and behavior. Therefore, adolescents are likely to adjust their beliefs based on changes in conflict and victimization they experience. To test this idea, the present study uses two waves of data from 56 middle Schools in New Jersey. The first difference model with two instrumental variables, popularity and social influence of friends’ conflict involvement, is used to explain reverse causal effects with panel data. Results show that changes in victimization and conflict involvement influence changes in conflict beliefs and normative conflict beliefs. This reverse causality emphasizes the complexity of the association between social norms and behavior and between beliefs and behavior.

Author

• Chang-Yi Lin, University of South Carolina-Columbia