Relational aggression
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Relational aggression is psychological (social/emotional) aggression between people in relationships. Relational aggression is a form of aggression where the group is used as a weapon to assault others and others' relationships. It uses lies, secrets, betrayals and a host of other two-faced tactics to destroy or damage the relationships and social standing of others in the group. Also known as covert bullying[1], social aggression [2], "female bullying"[3], family bullying or serial bullying[4], it is a cruel, cunning, and covert form of aggression, used by both men and women in relationships. It is less well-known than physical forms of aggression and therefore much more difficult to detect.
Although modern understanding of relational aggression arose from the study of cliques of girls in school, and despite the fact that the term "female bullying" is often used synonymously with "relational aggression", relational aggression is seen at times in women and men of all ages in spousal, familial, sexual, social, community, political, and religious settings. [5]
Research seems to indicate differences in the types of relational aggression typical to children of different ages. Younger children are more likely to use direct forms of relational aggression, e.g., "You can't come to my birthday party." In contrast, older children are more likely to use more covert methods of harm, e.g., by making up mean stories about the victim of violence and passing them around at school.
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[edit] Origin of the term
The term relational aggression was first coined in a 1995 study by Crick and Grotpeter. [6] Despite the novelty of the term, it has gained widespread usage, appearing in books, popular articles, academic papers, web sites and even in the title of research conferences. [7]
[edit] See also
[edit] Books
- Simmons,Rachel Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls.
- Underwood, Marian K, Social Aggression Among Girls
[edit] Academic articles
Casas, J.F., Weigel, S.M., Crick, N.R., Ostrov, J.M., Woods, K.E., Jansen Yeh, E.A., Huddleston-Casas, C.A. (2006). Early parenting and children’s relational and physical aggression in the preschool and home contexts. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 27, 209-2227.
Crick, N.R. & Grotpeter, J.K (1995). Relational aggression, gender, and social psychological adjustment. Child Development, 66, 710-722.
Crick, N. R., Ostrov, J. F., & Kawabata, Y. (in press). Relational aggression and gender: An overview. Invited chapter to appear in D. J. Flannery, I. Waldman, & A. Vazsonyi (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Violent Behavior and Aggression.
Crick, N. R., Ostrov, J. M., & Werner, N. E. (2006). A longitudinal study of relational aggression, physical aggression and children’s social-psychological adjustment. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 34, 131-142.
Ostrov, J. M., Gentile, D. A., & Crick, N. R. (2006). Media Exposure, Aggression and Prosocial Behavior During Early Childhood: A Longitudinal Study. Social Development, 15, 612-627.
[edit] External links
- The Ophelia Project - Leading Resource On Relational Aggression
- Bullying in the Family, UK National Workplace Bullying Advice Line.
- Relational Aggressor: The New Bully on the Block
- Relational Aggression
- Relational Aggression Weblog
- Club Ophelia
- Emotional Bullying
- Names Do Hurt
[edit] References
- ^ McGrath, Mary Jo: "School Bullying: Tools for Avoiding Harm and Liability", Corwin Press, p. 21.
- ^ Underwood, Marion K.: "Social Aggression among Girls", The Guilford Press, 2003.
- ^ Dellasega, Cheryl and Nixon, Charisse: "Girl Wars: 12 Strategies That Will End Female Bullying", Fireside Press.
- ^ Bullying in the Family, UK National Workplace Bullying Advice Line web page, as of 19 February 2007 from [1].
- ^ Ophelia Project FAQ, from [2], as of 19 February 2007
- ^ The Ophelia Project RA Information Site, [3].
- ^ e.g., the "2nd Research Conference on Relational Aggression" was held at University of Buffalo, SUNY, in 2006, as per [4], web site accessed 20 February 2007.
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