Posted on 05/08/2005 6:55:16 PM PDT by F14 Pilot
SALT LAKE CITY - Meanness in girls can start when they still are toddlers, a Brigham Young University study found. It found that girls as young as 3 or 4 will use manipulation and peer pressure to get what they want.
"It could range from leaving someone out to telling their friends not to play with someone to saying, 'I'm not going to invite you to my birthday party,'" said Craig Hart, study co-author and professor of marriage, family and human development at BYU. "Some kids are really adept at being mean and nasty."
They regularly exclude others and threaten to withdraw friendship when they don't get their way.
The "mean girls" are highly liked by some and strongly disliked by others. They are socially skilled and popular but can be manipulative and subversive if necessary. They are feared as well as respected.
The study is the first to link relational aggression and social status in preschoolers. It appears in the current issue of the journal Early Education and Development. David Nelson and Clyde Robinson of BYU are the other authors.
Researchers have long known that adolescents, particularly girls, engage in this sort of behavior, called relational aggression, to maintain their social status.
In fact, a number of books and movies have come out recently exploring this phenomenon, including the best-selling "Queen Bees and Wannabes" and the movie "Mean Girls."
"But it is striking that these aggressive strategies are already apparent ... in preschool," Nelson said. "Preschoolers appear to be more sophisticated in their knowledge of social behaviors than credit is typically given them."
Hart said other research has found that about 17 percent to 20 percent of preschool and school-age girls display such behavior. It also shows up in boys, but much less frequently.
"The typical mantra is that boys are more aggressive than girls, but in the last decade we've learned that girls can be just as aggressive as boys, just in different ways," he said.
The researchers asked 328 preschool children to rate their peers.
They asked which children were most likely to start fights, which were most popular and which were most physically aggressive_
The surveys found that even in preschool, a social hierarchy exists.
"You have popular kids, you have average kids, and you have kids (whom) others don't like to play with. Then there are some kids who just fly below the radar," Hart said.
Other research at BYU has shown that physically and relationally aggressive children are more likely to have parents who discipline with psychological control and manipulation, withdrawing love, avoiding eye contact and laying guilt trips on the kids.
"With relational aggression, we are early on in trying to tease apart these relationships," Hart said.
One thing researchers do know is that childhood slights can have lasting impacts.
Hart said the study may help teachers and parents key into relational aggression and the psychological and emotional trauma it can cause. Just as they do with physical aggression, adults need to monitor such behavior and help children recognize the harm it can cause.
"We've done studies showing that reasoning with children, not just one time but taking lots of opportunities to reason with them about how their behavior is affecting others, can help diminish it," Hart said.
....and it never stops. LOL!
Some men hate women....many women hate women.
Maybe it's the "little man" complex.
Seems to me that all kids that age are experts in manipulation. ...or at least attempting to manipulate. It's not exclusive to girls, nor is it a sign of "meanness." They're merely testing the boundaries of what they can get away with. ....perfectly natural.
This is news?
Anyone with a daughter, a younger sister knows this.
SO9
Which brings a thought to mind on liberals as role models. Now my head hurts.
They mean manipulation.
Bad girl ping???????? Good grief - labeling them by age three.......
issues?
BTW: Fox did a total fluff piece on the "boys are smelly" and "throw rocks at boys" t-shirts.
Essentially the female reporterette saw no potential problems with girls being trained to insult boys. They only had some nobody shrink. If the reporterette were serious she would have duplicated the shirts with the word girl in place of boy and done a person on the street comentary on "girls are smelly" or "throw rocks at girls".
File this one under "duh".
Eagles - Lying Eyes
City girls just seem to find out early
How to open doors with just a smile
A rich old man and she won't have to worry
She'll dress up all in lace and go in style
Late at night a big old house gets lonely
I guess every form of refuge has its price
And it breaks her heart to think her love is only
Given to a man with hands as cold as ice
So she tells him she must go out for the evening
To comfort an old friend who's feeling down
But he knows where she's going as she's leaving
She is headed for the cheatin' side of town
You can't hide your lyin' eyes
And your smile is a thin disguise
I thought by now you'd realize
There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes
Of course. Any three year old know that.
btt
Issues? No...grin...I just couldn't pass up the opportunity. Frankly, kids of all genders learn what they are taught. I equate this emphasis with the "boys will be boys" blarney one hears when a little boy gets away with shenanigans.
i can pick a snotty mean little girl out by age three. that is when my kids started preschool a few mornings per week, you can spot the little manipulative ones.
...duh...bad seed and all that...
LOL...ALL girls are mean as hell. You don't have to be a scientist to figure that one out. I'm still laughing about that one...
sorry did not mean to offend.
We have substituted "boys will be boys" with "zero tollerance"
We no longer allow children to learn we only allow children to be "indoctrinated"
Blame it on Bush.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.