Navigating power, control, and being nice: Aggression in adolescent girls' friendships

Abstract

The relationship between gender role identity and relational aggression was examined. Fifty-two girls (mean age = 15 years; 70% White, 30% non-White) from the mid-Atlantic U.S. completed the Relational Aggression Scale and the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (S. L. Bem, 1981a). Use of relational aggression friendships among adolescent girls significantly predicted 9.9% of the variance for the high feminine variable. Focus group interviews were used to complement the quantitative study. Specific themes are identified and discussed.