Relational Aggression
Mean Girls and Relational Aggression (Female bullying) The term “relational aggression” is the term for bullying behaviors that many girls resort to in order to damage another’s social connections within the peer group. It can include exclusion from the group, ignoring, spreading rumors, insults, teasing and intimidation. Studies show that boys are generally more physical in their aggression, although there certainly are exceptions, and girls are more aggressive through their social relationships: Girls tend to be covert while boys tend to be overt. Many of our teens suffer from the effects of these aggressive behaviors and parents are often left wondering what to do. Relational aggression has two primary components: an imbalance of power and the intent to harm. This can be expressed either in physical or emotional means, however we will focus on the emotional expression in this discussion. Brigham Young University reports that emotional girl bullying can start as young as preschool. The Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology reports that 70% of girls have been mistreated by their friends at some time. In addition to face to face conflict, cyber-bullying has developed into a real problem. Cyber-Bullying is defined as, “using the Internet or other mobile devices to send or post harmful or cruel text or images to bully others” (Nancy Willard, Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use). There has been much research into this issue recently and, gratefully, as a result, there are many resources available. The links in this site will connect you to various websites, books and articles that are intended to be helpful to parents as well as students. Remember that your school counselors are here to assist with these difficult issues. Please feel free to contact us with concerns.
