Within each group there are specific girls that can best be described as the Alpha Female and typically gather a following through misogynist and ablesit practices. Although there are actions of violence that occur within these individual groups, there are also acts of violence that occur between separate groups.
One of the most common forms of this group-mentality violence is what is commonly referred to as bullying. Although bullying is not always physically violent, it is almost always emotionally and/or psychologically violent. This is the type of violence that sees the non-leader girls doing whatever it takes to win the favor of the girl leader and thus gain acceptance into the group. Often times this requires picking out a certain female, either from another group or a non-associated girl, and singling her out for unfair, violent and demeaning behavior. By "beating up" on one girl, who is typically powerless, the other girl (and the group) are able to easily gain a sense of power and entitlement in which they are unable to acquire from society at large.
However, sometimes this bullying escalates to actual acts of violence. Although the purpose and reasoning for the actions often remain the same, the action becomes more dangerous. The common explanation for this is that by taking extreme action, a girl is able to get more attention, both from within the girl community and, most importantly, from society at large. This violent behavior exhibited by girls...
By committing the act of violent despite the known consequences, the girl is able to solidify their spot at the top of the power pyramid, thus striking fear in some girls and admiration in others. Either way, the girl who commits the act of violence has just solidified her power, either through a power from fear or a power that is derived from an almost idolization outlook.
What can be understood from the essay penned by Miller and White, and by those articles that make up the rest of the book, is that the role of violence with girls is a sign of a larger problem that must be addressed. According to Miller and White, this larger problem is a societal marginilization of females, especially young and teenage girls. Whereas boys of the same age seem to develop more power and a greater role in society at this time, girls tend to remain in the status quo. In order to break from this stagnation, girls have turned inward, creating an artificial hierarchy of power that can serve as a substitute for the real society that they do not feel a part of.
Bibliography
Alder, Christine. (2004): Girls' Violence. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Dellasega, Cheryl. (2003): Girl Wars: 12 Strategies that Will End Female Bullying. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Schram, Pamela J.J. (2004): Gendered (in)Justice: Theory and Practice in Feminist Criminology. Chicago: Waveland Press, Inc.
