NCJ Number
204976
Date Published
2004
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This chapter highlights three themes of the previous chapters: how the manner in which girls are socialized might account for the forms of their violence; the fact that girls' violence often occurs in the context of close relationships; and the implications of the previous chapters for intervention with aggressive/violent girls.
Abstract
Compelling evidence suggests that at least in North American cultures, girls are socialized to be agreeable, nonaggressive empathic, and concerned about others. This may not only account for why the rate of violence is so much lower for girls than for boys, but may also explain the particular form of aggression by girls. Girls tend to engage in nonphysical aggression that involves social exclusion and psychological coercion. Girls who overcome gender-related socialization may be subjected to extraordinarily abusive environments. Existing systems and policies may be poorly prepared to help violent girls, because they are not tailored to the special features of girls' violence, one of which is its frequent occurrence in the context of close relationships. Girls and women are at risk of behaving aggressively toward relationship partners when they perceive relationships to be threatened and have poor skills in regulating negative emotions. On the basis of research on normative female development, the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention recommended in 1998 that programs for girls include special components that enhance self-esteem, foster positive body image, teach empowerment, and enhance interpersonal relationships. A research agenda for the future recommends that researchers continue to study girls' aggression and violence without reference to boys, with attention to developmental pathways and intervention strategies tailored to gender-specific research findings. 13 references