Mean Girls: Relational Aggression Among Middle School Girls

871 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: empirical review on aggression

Extensive research, endless stories and our personal histories have shown us the long-lasting impact on relational aggression amongst young girls in middle school. Regardless of the ways in which this aggression is played out in our schools, the adverse effects on adolescent girls are massive and damaging. Rather than consistently socializing these young women to believe that they are inherently different – more fragile, more emotional, ‘less than’, we as teachers need to be working at the grassroots level to show their commonality in the same struggles, and how building community with one another will not only save their lives but assist them in becoming successful global citizens.
Relational aggression comes in a myriad of ways and those can change daily thanks to our ever-evolving technological world. While just 10-15 years ago another girl spreading a rumor about another girl at school could have been immensely damaging, those same rumors today could be spread via social media outlets such as Facebook or Twitter, and those same insults can reach hundreds, if not thousands of other students (and parents) each day. Relational aggression can be as complicated as this or as simple as gestures, ridicule, cliques, betrayals, or name-calling. One of the most important aspects of relational aggression is that the act itself does not necessarily have to be aggressive in nature in order to be hurtful. Aggression does not equate to anger, therefore a simple gesture or name-calling incident can look innocent from a distance but still be as damaging as being physically shoved onto the ground. The effects of this aggression are destructive to both the victims as well as the bullies. Besag’s 2006 study found that:
…the frequency of verbal ...

... middle of paper ...

...ecognize and address relational aggression through systemic change in the social culture” (www.opheliaproject.org). In response to the dire need for an intervention to the negative behaviors among young girls, The Ophelia Project put together an expansive list of action plans, curriculum guides, workshops, youth leadership programs and many additional resources to assist in furthering the education of young girls in how they relate and react to each other.

Works Cited

Besag, V. (2006) Bullying Among Girls: Friends or Foes? School Psychology
International, 27, 535-551.

Casey-Cannon, S., Hayward, C., & Gowen, K. (2001) Middle-School Girls’ Reports of Peer Victimization: Concerns, Consequences and Implications. Professional
School Counseling, 5 (2), 138-147

Mckay, C. (2003) Relation Aggression in Children. Camping Magazine, 76 (2), 24-28

Show More
Related

  • The Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls

    1391 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Social Discrimination In Mean Girls

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    306) and society’s knowledge of the ramifications of aggression, combined with cultural expectations, helps to control how aggressive behavior is manifested (Eagly & Wood, 1991, p. 311). Females are for the most part not overtly aggressive with each other and are more inclined to use their social intelligence to exploit relationships or undermine other peers they are in competition with (Crothers, Lipinski, & Minutolo, 2009, p. 102). These manipulative behaviors are comprised of gossiping, avoidance, rumor spreading, and stealing of friends or romantic interests (Crothers et al., 2009, p.

    Read More

  • The Value of Beauty: Plastic Surgery Should be Recognize for it Benefits

    1222 Words  | 3 Pages

    In early years bullying is something that often occurs on the play ground and in schools ,however, as new technology arises bullying is no longer restricted to the play ground and schools. With the access to the internet people have been able to freely express their thoughts ...

    Read More

  • The Need for Civility in Social Media

    676 Words  | 2 Pages

    With a few keystrokes, that mean ‘ole bully of yours can be knocked down a peg or two. The best part? The bully can’t fight back with his fists. In this world, it’s a battle of ‘brains’ instead of brawn. In this world, the victim can become the victimizer in a few short seconds. In recent years, as the use of social media websites like Facebook and Twitter have increased, the roles of bullying in schools have flipped among teens who spend a great deal of their time engrossed in social media websites. In this day and age you can’t waltz into a high school and easily separate the bullied from the bullies, because now it isn’t about who has the bigger muscles, it’s about who has the bigger mouth.

    Read More

  • Relational Aggression

    896 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Relational aggression is defined as behaviors that harm others by damaging (or threatening to damage) or manipulating one’s relationship with his/her peers, or by injuring one’s feelings of social acceptance.” (Ophelia Project, “Issues” par 3). This type of aggression is mainly directed toward the emotions rather than physical behavior. Some examples of relational aggression include:

    Read More

  • Teenage Violence on Modern Society

    839 Words  | 2 Pages

    Moore, Arya. "How School Bullying Affects Teen Violence." Everyday Life. Global Post, 8 Dec. 2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2014

    Read More

  • Violence Against Women In Modern Society

    1538 Words  | 4 Pages

    In modern society, women have had to face multiple oppressions from society. A major part of their oppression was violence. Violence against women consist of many types, such as physical, mental, emotional or cultural, amongst others. These different types of violences cause many different difficulties within women, making it a main issue amongst modern women. However, physical violence is one of the most detrimental because it does not only affect the person being physically harmed, but also the young minds who witness it, specifically girls. Children are very susceptible to what they witness, making it more critical because it can shape their entire lives. If children are exposed to violence and other negativity so early on,

    Read More

  • A Correlation Between Bullying And Teen Domestic Violence

    2636 Words  | 6 Pages

    Teen Domestic Violence is a serious problem in today’s world. Many behaviors taught and learned can lead to teen domestic violence. More attention and research should be done for the topic. It needs to be looked at through a new light to see what may be causing this epidemic. It is clearly an entirely new concept. A couple of the ideas that factor into this are the influence of peers on their friends, the strength of these friendships, and the lack of relationship experience. At least one in three high school students have/will be involved in an abusive relationship (Maas, et al, 2012). It is no longer just males being the perpetrator, females also engage in the violence. My research study aims to find a correlation between bullying and teen dating violence. Also, to uncover the factors that lead to bullying and in turn causes teen dating violence. For example, the breaking of social bonds that is essential for teenagers. They may mistreat their peers, and in turn society labels them as bullies. Other examples may be kids that were bullied and they are trying to get revenge for what they experienced. As they grow older, these bullies get into relationships and the same feelings of disconnect soon arise again. As a result, the bullies turn to the only violence they know. By finding the factors that lead to bullying and teen dating violence, social policy can be created to help this growing societal issue.

    Read More

  • Building a No Bully Zone

    1745 Words  | 4 Pages

    Imagine a society overrun by bullies. It would be awfully frightening if it was true, but it is. The Bully Society, by Jessie Klein discusses the many stories kids who are entangled with issues regarding bullying and how they are struggling to cope. Before Klein began writing her book, she worked for years as a high school teacher, a social worker, and a conflict resolution coordinator. Klein writes many scholarly journals, articles which have appeared in many well-known media organizations. One of her main goals as described on her website, www.JessieKlein.com, is “I hope to help schools build compassionate communities leading to more peaceful and productive education environments.” Klein is a very diligent and hardworking woman. She tries to emphasize the need for improvements whether it is about education or communities. She strives as an influential role model to possibly many of her past students and those she has encountered.

    Read More

  • Essay On Cyberbullying

    2378 Words  | 5 Pages

    “Nonphysical aggression has been in the world of female bullying, rumors, social exclusion, and other forms of quiet aggression to attack other girls.” (Woolls, Loertscher 152) This type of bullying usually is not caught by teachers’ and parents’ radar, and can continue for years without attention. (Woolls, Loertscher 152) “What makes cyberbullying so dangerous, is that anyone can practice it without having to confront the victim. You don’t have to be strong or fast, simply equipped with a cell phon...

    Read More

  • Popularity and Agression

    1723 Words  | 4 Pages

    Psychologists have studied, in the recent years, about being accepted or being popular in the adolescent years of a person’s life. This research has led them to an interesting question: how does aggression affect popularity or being accepted socially by others? Aggression is an act that may be considered negative when used in most cases. Crick and Grotpeter in 1995 defined aggression “as behaviors to hurt or harm others” (Crick & Grotpeter, 1995, p.710). There are two main types of aggression: relational aggression and overt/psychical aggression. Relational Aggression is “harming others through purposeful manipulations and damage of their peer relationships,” while Overt aggression is “harming others through physical aggression, ...

    Read More

  • Conflict Theory On Bullying

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bullying has been around for decades and yet it is still a reoccurring problem, and it is only getting worse. The National Center for Educational Statistics, in 2009, said nearly 1 in 3 students between the ages of 12 and 18 reported being bullied in school. Eight years earlier, only 14 percent of that population said they had experienced bullying(Ollove,2014). There are two types of bullying the direct form and indirect form, in the direct form the victim receives physical harm example kicking pushing shoving. In the indirect form the victim receives emotional or mental harm by name-calling, rejection, gossip, threats, or insults(Green,2007). It doesn’t matter which way the victim was bullied it still causes

    Read More

  • Strengths and Weakness of The Qualitative Research Method

    2841 Words  | 6 Pages

    Owens, L., Shute, R. & Slee, P., 2000, ‘“Guess what I just heard”: Indirect Aggression among Teenage Girls in Australia’, Aggressive Behaviour, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 67-83.

    Read More

  • Aggression in Children

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    Aggression is a problem that is very common in many children and that if not addressed early enough would continue through adolescence and later on in life. Aggression can be caused by a multitude of factor, which is sometimes considered part of a normal developmental stage; never the less aggression can also be a symptom of a multitude of disruptive behaviors (Barzman & Findling, 2008). It is important that parents learn to deal with this type of behaviors and find ways to effectively modify the child’s misconduct; according to Barzman & Findling (2008) the intricacy of aggression needs to be addressed through complex assessment strategies.

    Read More

  • Bullying in Today's Youth

    919 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bullying is a devastating issue that threatens the well-being of today’s youth. Those who are most likely at risk are those who; have a learning or physical disability i.g., autism or ADHD, are underweight or overweight, are gay/lesbian/transgendered, or speak a different language. Of course, there are no specific guidelines of who will become victims of bullying. Children who are bullied experience lower self-esteem, greater loneliness, greater anxiety, and more depression in addition to the already stressful adolescent years. The longer the bullying occurs the more profound the symptoms can become. As a low-level, subtle form of violence, bullying creates an unsafe school environment and can lead to more serious types of violence among students (Whitted & Dupper, 2005).

    Read More

More about Mean Girls: Relational Aggression Among Middle School Girls

Open Document