Features of the teenagers representations of themselves and of school class leader: a gender aspect

We examine the relationship of status structure of student groups and gender characteristics in adolescence. We analyze the representation of teenagers with different statuses about themselves and leaders of student groups. We discuss the gender characteristics revealed in the empirical study that determine the status position of students in adolescent group. In accordance with the purpose and objectives of the study, we used a set of socio-psychological methods and techniques: sociometry, referentometry, a method of defining informal intragroup power structure in a contact community, S. Bem questionnaire (traditional and modified versions). The study involved 138 adolescents, studying at VI-VIII grades of Moscow secondary schools, aged 12 to 14 years. It is shown that the teenagers’ ideas about the leader contain pronounced masculine features. It is proved that gender-typed behavior is more typical of low-status students.