Mean Girls: Relational Aggression Among Middle School Girls

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:

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...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