“You just stare at them and give them daggers”: Nonverbal Expressions of Social Aggression in Teenage Girls

Social aggression is aimed at hurting others through damaging their peer relationships, and occurs more typically among girls than boys, especially in the teenage years. We have previously reported that Australian teenage girls and their teachers explain such behaviours in terms of friendship-group processes and creating excitement. While verbal behaviours such as spreading rumours play an important part, this paper presents evidence that nonverbal behaviours are also an important aspect of social aggression, serving functions such as conveying dislike and excluding individuals from peer groups. Such behaviours are often subtle and can be used in ways which enable offenders to protest their innocence. Implications for interventions to alleviate the damaging effects of social aggression are discussed.