NCJ Number
204960
Editor(s)
Marlene M. Moretti,
Candice L. Odgers,
Margaret A. Jackson
Date Published
2004
Length
268 pages
Annotation
The chapters of this book present interdisciplinary perspectives on aggression and violence in the lives of young women, with attention to risk and protective factors, development pathways, and intervention principles.
Abstract
In the first section, the form and function of aggression in relation to gender are addressed from a psychological perspective. Issues discussed are girls' sensitivity to rejection and the defense mechanisms they use in response to perceived rejection; the nature and consequences of girls' nonphysical aggression; the function of aggression within the context of seeking relationship attachments, and the diversity of developmental pathways among aggressive girls. The next section of the book addresses the importance of social-cultural context in exposing girls to factors that diminish their protection against victimization and the adoption of aggressive behaviors. Issues discussed include the role of race and minority status in relation to aggression and violence in girls and how restrictive welfare policies and punitive juvenile justice policies may create conditions that foster aggression and violence in girls/women. The third section of the book presents perspectives on intervention, as it links risk factors and early identification with specific treatment programs. Applications to both juvenile justice and school-based programming are discussed. Two chapters on Great Britain's Earlscourt Girls Connection show the value of an intervention to reduce aggression and other antisocial behavior among girls under 12 years old. Also discussed are risk assessment and juvenile justice policy as these relate to aggression and violence in girls. Chapter references and a subject index