Poster #9 - The Influence of Peers During Adolescence: Does Homophobic Name Calling by Peers Change Gender Identity?

• In Event: 2-023 - Poster Session 6
  In Poster Session: 06 - Cultural Processes

Abstract/Description

INTRODUCTION: Identity development is a hallmark of adolescence (Erikson, 1968). Normative developmental changes in identity are presumed to be driven by increasingly sophisticated cognitive abilities, as well as by the increased complexity of social environments surrounding adolescents. Whereas some changes in one’s identity can be considered a healthy developmental outcome, too many shifts can lead to identity challenges and may lead to confusion (Yarhouse & Tan, 2005). Nevertheless, few empirical studies have directly investigated the social processes involved in identity change during adolescence.
GOALS: The present study assesses peer influence on gender identity using a definition of gender identity that assesses how adolescents view the self in relation to their own- and other-gender peer groups. The conceptualization of gender identity we adopt moves beyond the gender binary (“I’m a girl” or “I’m a boy”) and suggests a “dual identity” approach, that is, informed by individuals’ beliefs about how the self relates to both gender groups (Martin et al., 2017). In particular, we investigate whether a specific type of negative peer experience, homophobic name calling, influences adolescent perceptions of their own- and other-gender identity. We do this by employing social network analysis to longitudinally assess the impact of homophobic name calling on dual gender identities during adolescence. We used this method because it controls for structural features of peer networks, positive relationships, and general peer victimization while assessing longitudinal change via peer influence on gender identity.
METHODS: Participants were 299 ethnically diverse 6th grade students (53% female; Mage=11.13 years, SDage=0.48) recruited from a middle school in the Southwestern U.S. Participant sex was self-identified. Peer network nominations were made by adolescents (e.g., “who do you like most”). Gender identity was self-reported for own- and other-gender peers using a 10-item scale (e.g., “How similar do you feel to [boys/girls]?”). Homophobic name calling was self-reported using an item adapted from the Homophobic Content Agent Target Scale (HCAT; Poteat & Espelage, 2005) (i.e., “Some kids call each other names such as gay, homo, or lesbian. How many times in the last month did anyone call you these names?”).
RESULTS: Even with the controls (above), social network analysis demonstrated that homophobic name calling at the onset of middle school emerged as a form of peer influence that changed early adolescent gender identity over the course of the first year of middle school. Specifically, adolescents appear to have reflected (i.e., the “looking glass self”) upon how others perceived them (Yeung & Martin, 2003) and incorporated that information into their self-concept. Adolescents who experienced homophobic name calling appeared to have changed their self view, such that they reported feeling less own-gender similar and more other-gender similar.
CONCLUSIONS: The current findings provide a new understanding of the role of homophobic name calling in influencing adolescent gender identity. Understanding how homophobic name calling influences shifts in gender identity provides insights into the developmental and social factors that contribute to identity formation.

Authors

• Dawn DeLay, Arizona State University
  Presenting Author

• Carol Lynn Martin, Arizona State University

• Rachel E. Cook, Arizona State University

• Laura Hanish, Arizona State University