Social aggression among girls and boys

Social Aggression Among Girls and Boys

The literature on this topic covers a wide and often diverse range of issues and disciplines. A paper by Hencke and Raya (1993) entitled You're Mean! Differences between Three-Year-old boys and Girls in Narratives about Nice and Mean Social Interactions explores the issue of gender differences in relation to aggressive behavior. The study investigates developmental attitudes and perceptions among the very young by examining stories that children tell about aggressive and "mean "social activities.

This is an important area of the subject of aggression among very young males and females, as it explores the underlying and developmental foundations of later socially aggressive behavior.

Importantly, the study finds the girls tend to show more social inhibitions about expressing anger at a younger age than boys. As the study was undertaken with three-year-old children, it provides a useful baseline for further research into this topic. The study also finds that, "Aggressive play is ubiquitous among American Children." (Hencke and Raya, 1993, p. 1) The article points out that the there is a relative paucity of research in this area with regard to the shaping aspects of the developmental process.

The study measures the gender difference against numerous variables - such as shyness and talkativeness. This also leads to the conclusion that shy children tend to have more prohibitions about aggression at a younger age than those who are more outgoing. A central concern for further research is that the results"... support the necessity of reexamining the performance of each gender separately when looking of the effects of temperament and behavior." (Hencke and Raya, 1993, p. 8)

An interesting article that examines the assumption that girls tend to be more manipulative in their aggressive behavior, while boys express themselves though direct aggression, is Do Girls Manipulate and Boys Fight by Bjorkqvist et al. (1990).

In summary, the article attempts to examine the hypothesis that girls are more likely to express aggressive behavior through indirect means; while boys are more direct in their expression. The study does find that gender difference with regard to indirect and direct aggression is a definite phenomenon. However, the study also concludes that the findings are mixed and that the view or assumption that this is a definitive trend in the sexes is not completely true. The study also found that age was a variable and that indirect aggression was not fully developed in the younger girls, while this form of aggression tended to be more obvious in the eleven year age group.

While this study does present some interesting and valuable insights on aggression, it also is too general and tends, to a certain degree, to promote gender stereotypes. It is felt that there are too many variables, including age and various other social and cultural aspects that intervene in a clear-cut adoption of this hypothesis. This view is supported by the fact that the study concludes that these generalizations were found to be not true in an overall sense. The value of the study lies in the fact that it indicates possible trends in aggression that might occur among some children in each gender. The findings of the paper do provide a subject for further research in the suggestion that boys begin to use manipulation and indirect aggression in later life.

The subject of social stereotypes and generalizations about gender aggression is therefore an important research area for this topic. Another article which examines social stereotypes of gender is Mean Girls or Cultural Stereotypes? By Horn (2003) This is an important article as the view of gender is often clouded by social and cultural stereotypes. The paper explores the cultural generalization that girls tend to be "meaner" than boys. The study also investigates a variety of social and manipulative aggressive behaviors. This is particularly directed at the type of behavior which is socially manipulative and based on factors such as peer jealousy.

The article provides an important contribution to the research topic in that it investigates the difference between social aggression and physical aggression and asks pertinent questions; such as, the influence of personality traits on behavior and whether aggression is learnt culturally or developed as a result of psychological factors. The article also raises a number of important issues and emphasizes the view that aggression should be understood in a developmental sense in relation to a range to variables; which includes social, cultural as well as psychological reasons for aggression in the sexes.

An article which explores the developmental process in early infancy and the way that this can be a determining factor in later development and gender differences, is The Relationship of Early Infant Regulation and Later Behavior in Play Interviews, by Mary Ellen Durret (1957) This article provides important insight into the way that early developmental factors influence later developmental patterns. The article focuses on experiences in early infancy and explores the way that these impact on the formation of personality - which may provide clues to aggressive behavior patterns. The study focuses particularly on the relationship between fantasy aggression of very young children (4-5 years) and early child rearing experiences.

The hypothesis that is tested is that there is a positive correlation between aggressive behavior and strict regulation during infancy. The results of the study also tend to support the general view that boys are more physical and girls more verbal in their aggressive behavior. Boys also tended to have higher levels and showed more aggressive behavior than girls. This result is related to the fact that boys received stricter regulation (spankings) than did the girls - which supports the hypothesis that overt aggression is linked to early childhood experiences and that gender difference in aggressive behavior might be linked to treatment at an early age.

A study that examines the issue of gender aggression across and within gender lines is Peer Estimates of School- Ages Boys' and Girls' Aggression to same - and Cross- Sex Targets by Russel A. And Owens L. (1999). This article attempts to investigate the area of aggression in term of the target sex. The study therefore investigates and compares the amount and style of aggression in the two genders within same - sex and cross- sex targets. An interesting result was that boys and girls aggression were different in various degrees in relation to whether the target of the aggression was same or cross-sex. The results also showed that males tended to show more aggression to other males.

The results also indicated that physical types of aggression from girls were directed more at other boys than girls. Similarly to other studies that have been discussed, it was found that girls tended to use more indirect and verbal forms of aggression towards other girls. Another important finding was that boys and girls experience aggression in different ways. Central to this study is the view that "...the target of aggression appears to be important in the understanding [of]... boys' and girls' aggression." (Russel and Owens, 1999, p. 377) An area of research suggested by the study is the further understanding of the context of cross - sex aggression study that posits the view that there should be more research on aggressive behavior in girls is Self- Other Representations and Relational and Overt Aggression in Adolescent Girls and Boys by Morretti (2001) The study focuses on the important issue of self - representation and the representation of self by others as indicators of different types of aggression. The study also focuses on overt aggression, relational aggression and assaultive behavior. The emphasis is on the way that self-image relates to aggression according to different variables.

This is an important study, as the way that young people perceive themselves and how they are evaluate themselves through the eyes of others is a vital variable in understanding aggressive behavior. An interesting finding in this paper was that negative self-representation was correlated with relational aggression in girls but not in boys. However, negative self -representation was positively correlated with overt aggression and assaultive behavior in both sexes. Another finding was that negative representation by peers was associated with relational aggression in girls, but decreased aggression in boys. In essence this study provides a wealth of valuable information and is a significant contribution to the topic in that the research on self and other representation is an important means of understanding aggression on both sexes.

A study which extends the research on aggression among young girls is Reflecting on Antisocial Girls and the Study of Their Development: Researchers' views, by Elizabath Talbott (1997) This study attempts to rectify what the author deems to be a paucity in the research; namely that the assessment of female behavioral and emotional problems has suffered in the past due to research tools developed for research on boys. The author states that while these research tools and methodologies are valuable, they cannot be entirely effective with regard to the particular problems that girls experience.

Related to this view is the finding and assertion that there is a clear link between antisocial behavior and other aspects such as social aggression. To this end new research tools and methodologies need to be developed that will focus more on the investigative aspects that can enhance the understanding of the psychological and social development in girls.

Much of the literature on this subject is concerned with the differences as well as the interaction between social and physical aggression and how this correlates with the different sexes. A study that investigates this aspect in-depth is The development of Social Aggression and Physical Aggression: A Narrative Analysis of the Interpersonal Conflicts by Xie et al. The results of this extensive study are similar in some respects to studies already mentioned in this literature review. For example, it was found that girls were more likely to use indirect and social aggression against girls, while boys were more like to use physical aggression against their own sex.

An interesting finding was that physical aggression was "linked to concurrent and future maladjustments" (Xie et al., 2002, p. 341) The aspect of physical aggression was also positively linked to high school dropout figures. In essence the study finds that that social aggression and physical aggression are related to different interpersonal functions and trajectories and involve varied social processes.