Rejection or Tolerance of Bullies: The Roles of Descriptive, Injunctive, and Popularity Norms

ABSTRACT Using data from a large sample of students ( N = 1373; 40% girls; M age = 14 years) from 54 classrooms, this study examines how multiple coexisting classroom norms—specifically, descriptive, injunctive, and popularity norms—independently and interactively shape the association between bullying behavior and peer rejection during early adolescence. First, a latent profile analysis identified three subtypes within the popular group: a popularity reference group (48%), a defending popularity group (31%), and a bullying popularity group (21%). Second, a systematic comparison within a multilevel framework revealed that injunctive norms (classroom‐level anti‐bullying attitudes) and defending popularity norms (classroom‐level defending behavior among defending‐popular peers) exert a stronger influence on peer rejection of bullying behavior than either descriptive norms (classroom‐level average bullying behavior) or bullying popularity norms (classroom‐level bullying behavior among bullying‐popular peers). Additionally, the impact of defending popularity norms on peer rejection of bullying behavior was maximized in classrooms with strong collective anti‐bullying attitudes (injunctive norms). These findings underscore the importance of anti‐bullying interventions harnessing the influence of both majority and minority student groups within the classroom.