Glossed lips and glossed over : relational aggression in adolescent girls

Relational aggression is an indirect type of aggression used to damage relationships with others. Adolescent girls frequently encounter this issue, and the ubiquity of technology has expanded the ways in which girls can attack one another, i.e. cyber-bullying. The causes of relational aggression are unknown and could involve a combination of factors, including victim and/or bully psycho-social adjustment, social expectations, or the implicit structure of female friendships in adolescence. The effects range from social anxiety to impacted school performance to depression and suicidality. Groups of friends act much like a family for adolescents in terms of support and intimacy. Using Murray Bowen’s family systems theory as a template, an intervention is proposed where girls are taught techniques that will strengthen relationships with others and themselves.