Is teasing meant to be mean or nice? Retrospective reports of adolescent social experiences and teasing attitudes

Abstract

Peer teasing has contradictory conceptualizations, including teasing that is playful, and teasing that is akin to bullying. In addition to individuals potentially having different conceptualizations of teasing, and despite the inherently social nature of teasing, little is known about the social correlates of teasing attitudes. The current study aimed to examine multifaceted teasing attitudes (i.e., aggressive, affectionate, or romantic interest teasing), and to assess how past social experiences (victimization, popularity, social satisfaction/self‐concept) relate to teasing attitudes. Young adults (N = 437, 17–25 years old, 65% female) reported on multifaceted teasing attitudes on a Teasing Attitudes Scale developed for this study. Participants also reported retrospectively on adolescent social experiences. Findings validated the Teasing Attitudes Scale, showing that young adults have distinct attitudes toward teasing as aggressive, affectionate, and indicating romantic interest. Participants who reported victimization by bullying, lower popularity (girls only), social satisfaction, and social self‐concept were more likely to view teasing as aggressive. Participants who had been victims of non‐bullying aggression viewed teasing as affectionate, and those with high social satisfaction and self‐concept viewed teasing as for romantic interest purposes. Implications for understanding the complexities of teasing and its associations with individual attitudes and adolescent social experiences will be discussed.