Avoidance, antipathy, and aggression: A three-wave longitudinal network study on negative networks, status, and heteromisos

Abstract

Our aim is to explain negative networks in Dutch high schools, using three-wave stochastic actor oriented models (SAOMs). We differentiate between avoidance, antipathy, and aggression based on how costly and visible these behaviours are. Our results show that pupils’ ethnicity does not explain negative ties. Moreover, we do not find that negative ties form archetypical social hierarchies, formed by networks that are asymmetrical and transitive. Instead, we find positive effects of reciprocity on avoidance, antipathy, and aggression, and we find no effects of transitivity. Rather than allowing themselves to be dominated by their classmates, pupils fight back and reciprocate negative behaviour. We further show that some pupils behave negatively to a lot of their classmates, and that some pupils are treated negatively by many classmates. These results require us to reconsider what status hierarchies look like. Finally, we explore the extent to which the avoidance, antipathy, and aggression networks co-evolve.