The definitive handbook on peer relations has now been significantly revised with 55% new material. Bringing together leading authorities, this volume presents cutting-edge research on the dynamics of peer interactions, their impact on multiple aspects of social development, and the causes and consequences of peer difficulties. From friendships and romance to social withdrawal, aggression, and victimization, all aspects of children's and adolescents' relationships are explored. The book examines how individual characteristics interact with family, group, and contextual factors across development to shape social behavior. The importance of peer relationships to emotional competence, psychological well-being, and achievement is analyzed, and peer-based interventions for those who are struggling are reviewed. Each chapter includes an introductory overview and addresses theoretical considerations, measures and methods, research findings and their implications, and future directions.

New to This Edition
*Chapters on neuroscience, social media, social inequality, prosocial behavior with peers, and sociological approaches.
*Expanded coverage of applied issues: chapters on interventions for socially withdrawn children, activity programs that promote positive youth development, and policy initiatives.
*Chapters on same- and other-sex peer relationships, peer influence, educational environments, evolutionary models, the self-concept, personality, and animal studies.
*Increased attention to variations in peer relations due to culture, gender, and race.
*Many new authors and topics reflect a decade's worth of theoretical and methodological advances, including the growing use of complex longitudinal methods.

About the Author

William M. Bukowski, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Psychology at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and holds a University Research Chair in early adolescent development. From 2008-2016 he was Director of the Centre for Research in Human Development, a multidisciplinary and multi-university research center housed at Concordia. He is a recipient of the John P. Hill Memorial Award from the Society for Research in Adolescence and is a Charter Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development. Dr. Bukowski's research examines the features and effects of school-age children's and early adolescents' experiences with their peers.

Brett Laursen, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Director of Graduate Training at Florida Atlantic University. He is also Docent Professor of Social Developmental Psychology at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. Dr. Laursen is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 7, Developmental), a Fellow and Charter Member of the Association for Psychological Science, and the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from OErebro University, Sweden. He is Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Behavioral Development. Dr. Laursen's research focuses on friendship and romantic relationships during childhood and adolescence and their influence on individual social and academic adjustment.

Kenneth H. Rubin, PhD, is Professor of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology and Founding Director of the Center for Children, Relationships, and Culture at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a Fellow of the American and Canadian Psychological Associations, the Association for Psychological Science, and the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development (ISSBD). Dr. Rubin is a recipient of Distinguished Contribution awards from the Society for Research in Child Development and the ISSBD, the Developmental Psychology Mentor Award from the American Psychological Association, and the Pickering Award for Outstanding Contribution to Developmental Psychology in Canada, among other honors. His research focuses on peer and parent-child relationships and the origins and developmental course of social and emotional adjustment and maladjustment in childhood and adolescence.

Reviews

"The second edition of this handbook provides the definitive summary of research on children's peer relations. Even for the seasoned veteran, there is much to learn here. Findings from individual differences research synergize with developmental findings in novel ways. For example, we learn from Hay, Caplan, and Nash that species-wide development in social cognition presages species-wide growth in play, and from McDonald and Asher that individual differences in social cognition predict individual differences in peer acceptance. The field has matured to the point where Lansford's capstone chapter on public policy now has the authority of strong empirical science."--Kenneth A. Dodge, PhD, Pritzker Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University

"The contributors to this second edition are a 'who's who' of researchers in peer relationships. The breadth of topics is equally impressive, covering everything from effects of genes, popularity, and income to the evolutionary bases of peer relations and their links to mental health. The book embodies an impressive range of disciplinary perspectives. Perhaps most important, the individual chapters are interesting and provocative--they not only thoroughly review the literature, but also take a stance and make new points that should help advance the field. The editors and contributors are to be commended for an outstanding work!"--Joseph P. Allen, PhD, Hugh P. Kelly Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia

"The second edition of this handbook reviews recent advances in the field and presents a complete picture of relevant theories and research methods. The volume offers a multidisciplinary perspective on peer relations in both typical and atypical development. Peer relations are explored in all of their dimensions, from the influences of individual differences and cultural contexts to the dynamics of dyads, groups, friendships, and romantic relationships. Among the book's numerous strengths are discussions of intervention and policy issues, as well as new content on neuroscience."--Simona C. S. Caravita, PhD, Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy

"Impressive in its scope and coverage of the literature on children's peer relations. The second edition includes comprehensive, current updates on such topics as the relation between peer acceptance or rejection and children's later adjustment. There are new chapters on intriguing, scientifically important topics, including how children function within networks and groups. Valuable reading."--John E. Lochman, PhD, ABPP, Professor and Doddridge Saxon Chairholder in Clinical Psychology, University of Alabama -In the second edition of this handbook, editors Bukowski, Laursen, and Rubin have assembled an impressive team of leading scholars, delivering revised and new topics on peer interactions, relationships, and groups. Half the content of the book is new to the second edition....The handbook is a must read for academics with interest in peer interactions and relationships. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.--Choice Reviews, 12/4/2018ffMeets or exceeds the criteria that we may expect for a 'true' developmental handbook....The scope of the volume is also impressive and the structure is logical and well organized....The editors and authors of this volume represent the 'A-list' of researchers and theorists working in this area and there is no comparable resource available....Researchers and instructors will find this collection useful for refining and expanding their own work and for introducing colleagues and students to the state of the art in peer relations research. The work presented here and the overview that these experts provide gives one an excellent sense of how the field has grown and expanded, where the active lines of research currently lie, and where they might be headed....This handbook [is] a solid investment for anyone who needs to access the state of the art or wishes to see where it might be headed. (on the first edition)--Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 1/1/2011ffCertainly the definitive volume on the social development of children from infancy to adolescence....An indisputable resource for anyone interested in socio-emotional development. Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. (on the first edition)--Choice Reviews, 7/1/2009

Book Information
ISBN 9781462541218
Author Kenneth H. Rubin
Format Paperback
Page Count 748
Imprint Guilford Press
Publisher Guilford Publications
Weight(grams) 1300g