Relational, Indirect, Adaptive, or Just Mean: Recent Work on Aggression in Adolescent Girls—Part I

Recent writings on the aggression of adolescent girls are discussed in the first of a two-part series reviewing popular and academic work on this topic. The description and naming of “relational” or “indirect” forms of aggression associated with girls, characterized as “on the rise,” invites discussion of long-standing assumptions about aggression and gender. The objective here is to present an overview and reading of these recent popular texts. Part II will follow with findings from and discussion of research on gender differences in the development of forms of aggression described in recent social science publications.