A 2005 report by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) examined a phenomenon of girl bullies who inflict pain not with their fists, but rather through a mean-spirited manipulation of scholastic social networks. In "Girls Bullying Girls," the NASP notes that this type of behavior is neither new nor benign:
The term "relational aggression" is used to describe a type of bullying primarily used by pre-adolescent and adolescent girls to victimize other girls - a covert use of relationships as weapons to inflict emotional pain.Whether conducted in person or via online attacks - using e-mails and popular social sites such as MySpace to spread malicious information and embarrassing (often digitally altered) photographs - relational aggression can inflict severe and lasting damage on the target of the abuse.
Researchers have found that, contrary to popular belief, girls are not less aggressive than boys, they are just more subtle or covert in their use of aggression. ...
Acts of relational aggression are common among girls in American schools. These acts can include rumor spreading, secret-divulging, alliance-building, backstabbing, ignoring, excluding from social groups and activities, verbally insulting, and using hostile body language (i.e., eye-rolling and smirking).
Other behaviors include making fun of someone's clothes or appearance and bumping into someone on purpose. Many of these behaviors are quite common in girls' friendships, but when they occur repeatedly to one particular victim, they constitute bullying.
Parents who suspect that their daughter is being bullied - or is being a bully herself - are urged to contact school officials and arrange for their child to be evaluated by a mental health professional.
Labels: fighting, bullies, bullying
Posted By: Aspen Education Group
