Model
Digital Document
Publisher
Florida Atlantic University
Description
A study comparing children identified through the
juvenile justice system as maltreated to nonmaltreated
children was conducted to assess differences in hostility
levels between the two groups. Hostility, conceptualized
as resistance to social influence, was hypothesized to
originate in early childhood as a psychological
distancing mechanism which generalizes to social
situations of all types. It was further hypothesized that
this distancing would promote resistance to social
influence and a preference for increased social diatance,
diminishing the impact of social learning modalities and
increasing the risk for the development of maladaptive
social behaviors. T-tests and analysis of variance
indicated no significant differences between the two
groups regarding hostility scale scores, although
maltreated children evidenced significantly less
susceptibility to social influence, and were found to
score significantly lower on socialization and social
adjustment measures.
juvenile justice system as maltreated to nonmaltreated
children was conducted to assess differences in hostility
levels between the two groups. Hostility, conceptualized
as resistance to social influence, was hypothesized to
originate in early childhood as a psychological
distancing mechanism which generalizes to social
situations of all types. It was further hypothesized that
this distancing would promote resistance to social
influence and a preference for increased social diatance,
diminishing the impact of social learning modalities and
increasing the risk for the development of maladaptive
social behaviors. T-tests and analysis of variance
indicated no significant differences between the two
groups regarding hostility scale scores, although
maltreated children evidenced significantly less
susceptibility to social influence, and were found to
score significantly lower on socialization and social
adjustment measures.
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