Who Are the Mean Girls?
Though we often think of mean girls as teenagers, the researchers found that relational aggression starts in preschool. In a 2005 article in the journal Early Education and Development, they reported that preschool children, especially girls, can be adept at excluding certain children, whispering secrets, and plugging their ears if a child they are mad at tries to talk to them. In their research, the team observed children saying things like, “You can’t be my friend unless you do what I say.” Mean girl behavior reaches the height of its destructive force during the teenage years, when girls are most concerned about their image and popularity. The “I won’t play with you” threats evolve into more orchestrated spreading of lies, gossiping, and ostracizing. Increasingly, the meanness is carried out using Web sites, instant messaging, e-mail, and text messaging. “For girls who are victims of this, it’s just devastating emotionally,” says Hart. To understand better exactly who the relational
