The code of cohesion: adolescent network centrality, offending, and the downside of school cohesion

Abstract Paradoxical to numerous theories and policies, adolescents attending schools high in student cohesion do not reliably exhibit less involvement in offending. Coleman’s arguments about status and norms and the broader literature on adolescent networks suggest that this paradox is partially attributable to high-status males having more leeway to offend when attending schools high in student cohesion, which over time reinforces their engagement in offending. Here, an initial test of this “code of cohesion” hypothesis is conducted using data from high school students in Waves I–III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Adolescents’ status positions at school are identified using multiple measures of network centrality, and high-cohesion schools are identified as those high on measures of student friendship network density or school social climate. Consistent with the hypothesis, results indicate that the positive association of male adolescents’ network centrality with offending becomes increasingly evident over time when they attend high-cohesion schools and diminishes over time after exiting these schools. Among schools of low/moderate-cohesion, the association of males’ network centrality with offending is less evident and does not persist after exiting schooling whatsoever. These findings support Coleman’s arguments about status and norms enabling leeway and illuminate a key reason why efforts to reduce offending by fostering student cohesion have had limited success. Additionally, this study highlights the need for research assessing how school relational dynamics among teachers, administrators, and parents, in addition to adolescent social systems, shape adolescents’ behavioral trajectories.