Relational Aggression

Relational aggression is a sociopsychological concept, defined as a type of indirect or “covert” aggression in which an individual attempts to harm his or her target by affecting the person’s social standing or peer relationships. Aggression, in this sense, is defined as behavior that is intended to cause unwanted harm to another person. This type of aggression may involve gossiping, fabrication of negative stories, and encouraging others to develop negative opinions of the target individual. Relational aggression is a major concern for psychologists and childcare professionals attempting to address bullying among school-age children.

Overview

Researchers Nicki R. Crick and Jennifer K. Grotpeter proposed the concept of relational aggression in 1993 and further developed the idea in their 1995 Child Development article “Relational Aggression, Gender, and Social-psychological Adjustment.” Crick and Grotpeter believed that relational aggression was more common among females and posed a significant developmental risk to school-age girls. A study published in Adolescent Research Review in 2023 indicated that common female behaviors associated with relational aggression included manipulation, social exclusion, rumor spreading, and ignoring. Cyberbullying to harm an individual's social status was also a form of relational aggression.

Direct aggression begins early in development among both boys and girls and includes verbal and/or physical attacks against a target individual. Males tend to be more comfortable engaging in physical bullying than females, who tend toward verbal bullying. Relational aggression may begin as early as preschool, and children are capable of utilizing social bullying by the age of five. A 2001 study by F. D. Alsaker and S. Vakanover suggests that between the ages of five and seven, boys and girls utilize relational aggression equally. From ages eight to fifteen, girls increasingly focus on relational aggression more than males. Some studies have indicated that this is because relational aggression is the most effective form of aggression that harms the target while allowing the aggressor to maintain his or her own social status. A 1995 study by Crick indicated that relational aggression may be more psychologically damaging to girls, for complex reasons involving gender differences in the ways in which boys and girls define themselves in relation to their social networks.

Research indicates that children and adults subjected to relational aggression can develop a variety of psychological issues. In some cases, childhood victims exhibit social withdrawal and difficulty trusting others within their peer groups. In other instances, victims may become aggressors, mimicking behaviors observed in their social rivals. Individuals subject to bullying may exhibit reduced success in reaching academic or other goals and may also show signs of depression. Studies indicated that they were more likely to develop substance abuse problems and become delinquent.

A 1999 study by Crick and Werner found relational aggression to be common among the young adult population as well, and they discovered links between bulimia and aggressive victimization. Few studies have investigated the long-term effects of relational aggression, but research indicates that victims may continue to suffer from adverse effects of victimization into adulthood. A proliferation of media representations of relational aggression has helped to bring the issue to the forefront of public consciousness. For instance, the film Mean Girls (2004) and the television series Suburgatory present characters that engage in relational aggression to increase their own social status while damaging the social status of others. This increase in public awareness of the issue has intensified attempts to develop programs to address relationally aggressive behavior in school-age children.

Bibliography

Alsaker, F. D., and S. Vakanover. “Early Diagnosis and Prevention of Victimization in Kindergarten.” Peer Harassment in School: The Plight of the Vulnerable and Victimized, New York: Guilford. 2001, 3–20. Print.

Avtgis, Theodore A., and Andrew S. Rancer, eds. Arguments, Aggression, and Conflict: New Directions in Theories and Research, New York: Routledge, 2010. Print.

Caspi, Jonathan. Sibling Aggression: Assessment and Treatment. New York: Springer, 2012. Print.

Crick, Nicki R., and Jennifer K. Grotpeter. “Relational Aggression, Gender, and Social-Psychological Adjustment.” Child Development 66.3 (1995): 710–22. Print.

Dellasega, Cheryl. Mean Girls Grow Up: Adult Women Who Are Still Queen Bees, Middle Bees, and Afraid-to-Bees. Hoboken: Wiley, 2011. Print.

Elias, Maurice J., and Joseph E. Zins, “Bullying, Other Forms of Peer Harassment, and Victimization in the Schools: Issues for School Psychology Research and Practice.” Journal of Applied School Psychology 19.2 (2003): 1–6. Print.

Espelage, Dorothy L., Sarah E. Mebane, and Susan M. Swearer. “Gender Differences in Bullying: Moving beyond Mean Level Differences.” In Bullying in American Schools: A Social-Ecological Perspective on Prevention and Intervention. Eds. Dorothy L. Espelage and Susan M. Swearer. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print.

Voulgaridou, Ioanna and Constantinos M. Kokkinos. "Relational Aggression in Adolescents Across Different Cultural Contexts: A Systematic Review of the Literature." Adolescent Research Review, vol. 8, 25 Feb. 2023, pp. 457-480, doi.org/10.1007/s40894-023-00207-x. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.

Wilmshurst, Linda. Clinical and Educational Child Psychology: An Ecological-Transactional Approach to Understanding Child Problems and Interventions. Hoboken: Wiley, 2012. Print.