Popularity and Deviance: The Link between Adolescence and Crime

• In Event: Social Network, Community, and Peer Effects on Crime and Delinquency

Abstract

While there has been much research regarding adolescent peer groups and crime, there has been one oversight that may shed light on new directions of research. That oversight is the concept of popularity (or status) within a peer group. Popular youth may be more heavily influenced by peer pressures to engage in certain deviant activities, as it may be expected of them since they have status among their peers. They may also be able to influence others as adolescents value peer acceptance more highly than at any other point in the lifecourse. This paper examines the relationship between popularity and deviance in adolescence. Relationships between popularity during adolescence and health outcomes later in the lifecourse are also assessed.

Authors

• Christopher P. Felts, University of Cincinnati

• J.C. Barnes, University of Cincinnati