Middle school is a tumultuous right of passage in any person’s life. It is the bridge between elementary school and high school, and it marked by several major life events. “Youth between the ages of 10 to 15 are characterized by their diversity as they move through the puberty growth cycle at varying times and rates.” Students of this age are sensitive and have a strong need for approval from others; they seek associations, relationships, and links with people, things, and new ideas. Also, during the middle school years, the aggressive behaviors increase for both boys and girls. However, each gender experiences aggression becomes significantly different during these middle school years. Moreover, bullying is defined either can cause physical or psychological harm to an individual by someone else (Peter K. Smith and Katerina Ananiadou , 2003). There are many researches have focused on boys and physical aggression (Brame, B., Nagin, D. S., & Tremblay, R. E., 2001, Nagin, D., & Tremblay, R. E., 1999, Nagin, D., & Tremblay, R. E. 1999). However, it is not just boys who experience aggressive behaviors during this time, the form of relational aggression is most commonly observed among girls, instance of threatening, relationship damaging and gossip. In Shannon’s study (as cited in Crick, Ostrov, & Werner, 2006) found that this type of aggression can be just as detrimental to girls as physical aggression is to boys.
In November 2000, 14-years-old Canadian girl Dawn-Marie Wesley committed suicide by hanging herself with a dog leash in her bedroom after experiencing a cycle of psychological abuse and verbal threats from three female classmates. When Kyla begin to harass Dawn-Marie, she encouraged her other friends to participant and ve...
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... we set out to do” (p. 3). If girls are look for a maintain nice conduct but find some channel to express their anger or pursue their social goals in ways for which they may not be held accountable, social aggression might be emotionally competent indeed ( Underwood, 2003, p.7). Moreover, another theory will help us to deeply understand why gender differences in social behaviors may emerge. One of the examples in this theory is that if it is indeed the case that girls value relationships so dearly, it makes sense that when they feel furious, they might seek to harm others by damaging friendships and social standing (Crick & Grotpeter, 1995; Galen &Underwood, 1997).
The question still remains as to why girls begin to resort to these behaviors. This may be better understood in reviewing the development of relational aggression, from pre-school to adolescence.
In 1992, a group of Norwegian researchers conducted a study of girls. “They found girls participate in aggression, but they express their anger in unconventional nonphysical ways” (Simmons 20). Another group of experts from the University of Minnesota continued with these findings and found the girl’s aggressive behavior should be classified into three subcategories; relational, indirect, and social aggression” (Simmons 21). An example of relational aggression would be ignoring someone or giving them the “silent treatment” which can be very traumatic for the victim. They wonder what they...
Milsom, A. “Bullying in Middle Schools: Prevention and Intervention.” Middle School Journal, Web. 31 Jan. 2014
One major act of aggression among adolescents is bullying. Bullying can occur for several reasons. Studies have shown that a decrease is in an adolescent’s self-esteem can serve as a powerful predictor of an increase in bullying behavior (Guerra, 2011). Teens often report that they engage in bullying
In understanding moral and ethical development of individuals, we have been exposed to a vast amount of information enlightening us of the complex ways in which both males and females cognitively develop their moral and ethical values. Through this we have learned about the many gender differences in these values, which has raised the question of why males and females branch apart in this development, when the separation occurs, and if it is a result biological differences, or socialization. In studying violence, in particular, the two directions seem to lead further and further apart as most research shows that boys act more physically aggressive than girls. In fact, most books available on youth violence, and even studies done in the past, focus on the male population because that is where it seems to be most prevalent. "…Teenage girls are arrested far less frequently for serious violent crime than boys (a ratio of one to eight)" (Siegal & Senna, 1991, 56). Why does this drastic form of aggression occur to an extreme in young males, and can the same epidemic be forming in young females? To answer this question information has been gathered and a questionnaire formed to assess peoples’ views on gender differences in aggression and what factors contribute to it.
We live in a society where aggressive acts happen every day, but do we really know what causes it? How can we help ourselves and others to understand what aggression is? First off, we need to define aggression, tell it’s causes and effects and determine the best way to deal with it. For example, aggression can be positive or negative, accidental or intended and physical or mental. Aggression is a continuing behavior in our world today and I feel that it is very important that we try to start controlling it now.
In our debate we discussed whether women are just as violent as men. The pro side of the debate said yes women are just as violent as men, and the opposing side said men are more violent than women. In the yes side of the debate violence was described as physical and emotional assaults. As in violent acts carried out with the intention of causing another person physical pain or injury, no matter whether actual injury occurs, and any unjust, cruel act, or maltreatment of another human being. In the no side of the debate violence was just described as physical assaults, and not emotional assaults. This paper will discuss both sides of the debate, and the pros and cons of the arguments made by both sides.
Bullying in girls is said to peak between the ages of ten and fourteen (Simmons, 2002, p. 4). This adolescent period is characterized by physical changes as well as cognitive and social-emotional changes. During this time, an adolescents' relationship with her peers is most important for support and approval of ...
Examining the most common characteristics of a violent offender, simply being a man can be considered a risk factor. The male gender is characterized by traits like strength, and a natural willingness to defend what is theirs. Such behaviors are driven by male hormones, which are utilized in the regulation of human aggression. Though girls comprise a smaller overall portion of adolescent arrests, the murder of Reena Virk in 1997, in which seven girls and one boy brutally assaulted and drowned a fellow classmate , shifts focus back onto juvenile female violence. While male offenders, often choose to act as individuals; the “girl-gang” phenomenon has recently caught the attention of researchers. Institutes from Canada, as well as the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany have published studies, emphasizing increasing female violence and the issue of “girl-gangs”. After exceptionally violent murders, the public tends to be very sensitive and biased regarding these issues, influenced heavily by the media. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between ordinary myths and statistics. Theories such as the Liberal Feminist View, as well as the Power-Control Theory approach female violence as it being the result of a constantly changing society. To fully comprehend the nature of female violence, however, a combination of social, economic, biological and psychological factors have to be taken into consideration. Commonly boys use violence to solve a conflict and to protect their honor girls instead, see it as a way of emancipation, to prove that they are not the weaker sex.
Aggression is “the intentional behavior aimed at causing physical harm or psychological pain to another person,” (Aronson et al.). Though this is a very concrete definition, many forms of aggression arise subconsciously. Numerous studies have been completed on the effects of viewed aggression or violence and the resulting behavior of the observer. Though subconscious aggression has been found to be a valid reason an individual may lash out, we can see in the social-cognitive learning theory that this may not always be the case. Individuals learn a social behavior, from aggression to altruism, in a large part through observing and imitating other individuals. Cognitive processes such as plans, expectations, and beliefs, are the reason individuals
Bullying is a growing concern in a society where status and exercising power over another human being are increasingly important in developing one’s social circles. Dan Olweus (Norwegian researcher and founder of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program) defines it as an “aggressive behaviour that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power. Most often, it is repeated over time” (Violencepreventionworks.org). School victimization is an especially delicate matter that has only really been in the public eye for the past half century, as more and more researchers and psychologists pointed out its short- and long-term negative effects on targeted individuals. It has since been widely investigated and numerous programs have been developed in an effort to address and prevent the many forms of bullying that exist today. The negative effects of such an abusive behaviour are various and can greatly differ from individual to individual. However, there are three main consequences that can be associated with school bullying, which are: school avoidance, depression/anxiety and even suicidal attempts.
Middle school is a transitional period where students are going through many changes physically and emotionally that affect their well being. They are breaking away from the comforts of elementary school and are transitioning into young adults with more responsibility and independence than before. It is also a time where many adolescents are learning about themselves and are experiencing new emotions and may face periods of insecurity and low self esteem. New forms of online bullying have become worrisome for today’s middle schoolers, teachers, and parents. Cyber bullying which occurs online and on various social media platforms has been linked to negative affects on adolescents mental health and behavior. Cyber bullying has become a new challenge
This essay intends to compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of the quantitative and qualitative approaches to research which addresses young people and bullying using two journal articles. The first article (quantitative) aims to “establish the relationship between recurrent peer victimisation and the onset of reported symptoms of anxiety or depression in the early teen years” (Bond et al. 2001, p. 480) while the second article (qualitative) aims to “investigate the nature of teenage girls’ indirect aggression” (Owens et al. 2000, p. 70).The two articles will be critically compared in terms of research design, methods used, approach to data analysis, reported results and the plausibility and appropriateness of the conclusions and recommendations posed. The aim of this essay is thus to evaluate and assess the methods of social science research currently undertaken in published research.
Many social psychologists agree that aggression can be defined as behaviour which intends to harm another person who does not want harm inflicted on them (Baron & Richardson, 1994; Bushman & Huesmann, 2010). This definition is all encompassing capturing the possible range of aggressive behaviours whilst excluding activities that can ‘hurt’ but to which the target of the hurt willingly consents and are therefore not considered aggressive due to this circumstance, for example, surgery. As aggression can be presented at differing levels and as result of this can range from the act of pushing someone over to domestic violence or even the extremities of terrorism. Therefore, as aggressive behaviour encompasses such a wide range of actions ranging
A category of strategies to prevent bullying in schools is identifying the causes of bullying. One factor that may cause bullying is the students’s family life. The lack of love or approval and involvement from the parents or overly permissive parenting where there is a lack of supervision or no rules may initiate bullying as the child may feel insecure. Another factor that may cause bullying is peer pressure. Friends who are aggressive and hav...
Bullying can also be considered as a major problem in the teenager bracket. This can occur in any social environment not just schools as mostly portrayed. Bullyi...