London, Dec 23 (IANS) Teenagers rely on violence as a passport to greater appreciation and respect within their group, says a new study.
The study focuses on a social identity that will enable teenagers to become part of a group and be respected. They are more likely to use relational violence as a tool to achieve this objective, it says.

David Moreno Ruiz, who led the study, said: “There is a growing interest in studying the violent behaviour of teenagers in school, which can have serious consequences for the psychological and emotional adjustment of the people involved.”

“Having high self-esteem is a key aspect, because this is important in inhibiting teenagers from indulging in behaviour that involves relational violence between peers at school,” explains Moreno, of the Pablo de Olavide University (UPO) in Seville.

Previous studies have already shown that some teenagers who are popular among their peers use violence in order to maintain and improve their reputation in the group.

The new study was carried out on 1,319 teenagers at seven schools in Valencia, and shows that teens whose social status is questioned by peers are rejected by their classmates.

They do not have intimate friendships, suffer from greater feelings of loneliness, low self-esteem and low levels of satisfaction with their lives.

“We must prevent the development of teenage social identities that are based on harming others, using unjustifiable tactics that are damaging to others, as is the case with relational violence,” the researchers pointed out, according to a UPO release.

The findings were published in the Spanish journal Psicothema.