Move aside, Mean Girls. A recent study conducted at the University of Georgia (UGA) has shed light on a surprising revelation—the true masters of cruelty are not girls, but boys.
For years, it has been widely believed that boys exhibit more physical aggression, while girls are more inclined towards relational aggression. In simpler terms, boys are the ones more likely to put you in a headlock, while girls are prone to spreading rumors about your gym class hygiene. Relational aggression encompasses behaviors like spreading malicious rumors, social exclusion, and rejection—themes that many of us might recall from the movie Mean Girls. It appears, however, that boys have quite the knack for it as well.
You are viewing: Boys vs. Girls: Unveiling the Cruelty Disparity
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In fact, as the UGA researchers followed a group of boys and girls from middle school to high school, they discovered that boys engaged in relational aggression more frequently than their female counterparts at all grade levels. Additionally, the study found that boys also exhibited more physical aggression. This raises an interesting insight: this study seems to have scientifically validated something we all know—middle school is far from fun. The UGA study attests that the peak levels of both physical and relational aggression occur between sixth and eighth grades, with aggression levels gradually decreasing throughout high school and reaching their lowest point in the final year. In summary, aggressive behavior is at its peak during middle school, but it does get better.
Led by Pamela Orpinas, a professor of health promotion and behavior in the College of Public Health at UGA, the study analyzed data collected from 620 students randomly selected from six northeast Georgia school districts. By having the student participants complete yearly surveys, the UGA researchers were able to identify and categorize them according to distinct trajectories for relational aggression and victimization from sixth to twelfth grade. The researchers trusted the students to self-report both physically and relationally aggressive behavior and victimization.
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Overall, the study revealed that relational aggression is a relatively common behavior among students. Orpinas notes that, in general, most middle and high school-age children are not particularly aggressive, even if they may occasionally make snide comments about their classmates. “Almost all of the students surveyed, 96%, had passed a rumor or made a nasty comment about someone over the course of the seven-year study,” she says. The study also found that the majority (54%) of students were unlikely to be perpetrators of relational aggression, with only 6.5% falling into the “high” likelihood category. Among those students who did perpetrate violence, the study identified boys as being more likely to exhibit both moderate (boys 55%, girls 45%) and high (boys 66.7%, girls 33.3%) levels of relational aggression.
It is worth noting, however, that the study does have its limitations. The findings are based on a relatively small sample size of students from Georgia schools and are not representative of the entire nation. Orpinas acknowledges the scarcity of research on mean boys thus far but hopes to delve further into this phenomenon in the future. For now, considering the debunking of the “mean girls” myth, she suggests that boys be included in the same school-based programs that have traditionally focused on preventing relational aggression among girls. Who knows, maybe that long-awaited Mean Girls sequel should instead be called Mean Boys—now that would be quite the sensation.
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Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: Blog
