Study: Girls Just As Aggressive As Boys
Find Out What Parents Can Do To Curb Aggression
POSTED: 2:51 p.m. EST April 4, 2002
CLEVELAND -- "Sugar and spice and everything nice" is a view of girls that may be outdated.
More and more studies show that girls can be just as aggressive as boys, and sometimes, just downright mean.
Why is that? And what's a parent to do?
One minute, they are the best of friends, and then sometimes the tension between girls gets physical. But more often, the jabs are verbal.
"You dress differently and all of a sudden there will be girls talking behind your back, 'Oh, look at her, she's dressed like a little girl -- don't talk to her,'" Sonia Golemme, 13, said.
"Girls can be mean, but not any meaner than boys can be," Nisha, 18, said.
"I see it every day," Elaine Childs, 16, said. "You see girls (who) start bickering, just because."
"They more easily can push each other's buttons," Melissa Lee, 17, said.
Research published by the American Psychological Association showed that boys and girls can be cruel, but in very different ways. Guys tend to fight it out.
"In girls, this tends to take the form of excluding certain girls, teasing them, putting them down, labeling them, keeping them out of clubs or cliques," said Dr. Dave Davis, a psychiatrist.
Starting rumors, bad-mouthing, and social isolation all are forms of aggression where friendship and emotions are manipulated to hurt someone.
"Some of it (has to) be insecurity with who you are and hiding what you are," Andrea Rioux, 17, said.
Experts agree and argue that parents need to teach their children to how to identify their feelings.
"We need to teach them shame, joy, guilt, disgust, (and) humiliation, so that they learn to label those feelings, and then they need to learn to express those feelings," Davis said.
They need to learn about those feelings because, according to counselors, when you express your feelings to someone, it's a lot harder to then turn around and be verbally or physically abusive to them.
Why is that? And what's a parent to do?
One minute, they are the best of friends, and then sometimes the tension between girls gets physical. But more often, the jabs are verbal.
"You dress differently and all of a sudden there will be girls talking behind your back, 'Oh, look at her, she's dressed like a little girl -- don't talk to her,'" Sonia Golemme, 13, said.
"Girls can be mean, but not any meaner than boys can be," Nisha, 18, said.
"I see it every day," Elaine Childs, 16, said. "You see girls (who) start bickering, just because."
"They more easily can push each other's buttons," Melissa Lee, 17, said.
Research published by the American Psychological Association showed that boys and girls can be cruel, but in very different ways. Guys tend to fight it out.
"In girls, this tends to take the form of excluding certain girls, teasing them, putting them down, labeling them, keeping them out of clubs or cliques," said Dr. Dave Davis, a psychiatrist.
Starting rumors, bad-mouthing, and social isolation all are forms of aggression where friendship and emotions are manipulated to hurt someone.
"Some of it (has to) be insecurity with who you are and hiding what you are," Andrea Rioux, 17, said.
Experts agree and argue that parents need to teach their children to how to identify their feelings.
"We need to teach them shame, joy, guilt, disgust, (and) humiliation, so that they learn to label those feelings, and then they need to learn to express those feelings," Davis said.
They need to learn about those feelings because, according to counselors, when you express your feelings to someone, it's a lot harder to then turn around and be verbally or physically abusive to them.
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