This document discusses relational aggression, commonly known as girl bullying. It defines relational aggression as behavior intended to harm someone's relationships. Common forms of relational aggression include gossip, exclusion, spreading rumors, and intimidation. The document explores differences between how girls and boys bully, with girls being more emotionally hurtful through social manipulation rather than physical aggression. It examines the roles that aggressors, victims, and bystanders play in relational aggression situations among teen girls and cultural factors that influence girls' relationships and behaviors.

1. Mean Girls
Relational Aggression
Alli so n Wa n am a k er

2. THESIS
Vicious teen girls are on the rise and becoming
more hurtful creating more and more targets.

3. personal relevance
I have experienced
bullying like most girls
have.
I witness it every day in
the cafeteria.

4. What is relational
aggression?
Behavior that is intended to hurt someone by
harming his or her relationships with others (Crick
& Grotpeter, 1995)
A form of aggression where the group is used as a
weapon to assault others and others’ relationships.

5. Common relational
aggression
gossip
exclusion
spreading rumors
exposing confidential information
lies and betrayal

6. Common relational
aggression (cont.)
Ignoring
Teasing or hurtful comments about
physical appearances
Humiliation
Attacks on sexuality

7. Common relational
aggression (cont.)
Alliance building
Claiming disloyalty or untrustworthiness
Making threats to physically harm the
other or the other’s possessions.
Intimidation

8. Girls vs. boys bullying
typical view of bully:huge football player stealing
lunch money
girl world bully: skinny, pretty and perfect
Boys tend to be more physical while girls are sneaky
and more emotionally hurtful.

9. Roles
The aggressor/ bully
The targeted victim
Girls in the middle
sometimes, boy instigator

10. Aggressors
Also known as the “queen bees”, the RMGs, or the
alpha girls
Typically walk into a room with a small entourage
and tell other girls where to sit.
Seem perfect, seem like they have a perfect life.

11. The victim
walk with heads down
They walk into a classroom alone
Very quiet

12. Girls in the middle
The pivotal group
They are the girls who might alternately be victims
or aggressors, often choosing to be bullies because
they do not want to be next.
They do not know the power that they have.

13. Role of boys in Girl-Girl
Conflict
Girls learn early on to value relationships with boys
over relationships with girls.
classic conflict- girl who goes out with her best
friend’s boyfriend, either before or after the best
friend and boyfriend have broken up.
What’s wrong with this picture?

14. MEAN GIRLS
the movie

15. The mind’s of girls
A girl’s brain experiences
approximately 15% more
blood flow, which is
located in more centers
of the brain, than a boy’s

16. Cultural Expectations
Girls struggle with who they are and how our
culture would like them to be
Conflicting Messages
Be sexy... but don’t be sexual
Be beautiful... beauty is only skin deep

17. Pervasive Themes
Weight The Media
Fear of TV
Rejection
Magazines
Need for
perfection Movies

18. Research slides
Many.. with citations on the bottom. (For
information and images.)
Aproximately 12-20 minutes

19. Videos?
imbed videos into your slides as needed.
Will break up some of your information and
speaking.

20. Application Component
Describe, in detail, your application component
Multiple slides
USe pictures, videos, etc.
Approximately 8-15 minutes

21. Class Activity
Something creative and fun
Approximately 5 minutes or more

22. Works Cited
WITHOUT ANNOTATIONS, just citations

23. Conclusion
What did you learn?