ABSTRACT
Throughout the course of development, children’s relationships with others move beyond their initial relationships with parents and other family members and come to include relationships in other social contexts, particularly the peer context. An issue that has intrigued developmental theorists over the last century concerns how children develop the knowledge and skills necessary to manage relationships with others. There is a great deal of research that suggests that children who adjust poorly to their peer groups are at risk for later social and academic problems. In their review, Parker and Asher (1987) noted that children who are socially rejected by their peers are at increased risk for a variety of difficulties including increased risk of school dropout, poorer academic performance, increased delinquency, and mental health problems.
