Collaborative Conversations:

Adolescent girls’ strategies for managing indirect aggression in

their friendship groups

Research Problem

Issues of conflict within adolescent girls’ friendship groups

The impact of the conflict and the damaging effects on girls

What strategies do girls have for managing these conflicts?

Justification for the Research

Expand on current research in relation to negative behaviours in adolescent girls’ friendship groups

To include the voices and knowledge of girls in relation to their own strategies for managing friendship conflicts

To assist adolescent girls to recognize their own strengths, skills, and abilities for dealing with conflict.

Literature Review

Indirect aggression in girls’ friendship groups

The cost of Indirect aggression to girls Conflict resolution and Coping StylesAddressing the problemsGirls’ views on adult intervention

Participatory Action Research

Using a Narrative perspective and a Participatory Action research approach

75 adolescent girls, in large and small groups, engaged in several interactive focus group sessions to address the issues of conflict and strategies for the management of conflict within their friendship groups.

Method

A three stage cyclical process of interviews, discussions and data analysis was adopted for this study through: (Vickers

2007)

Identifying the social problem - interviewsFieldwork – interviews, clarification of dataAnalysis of the data, evaluating the

outcomes and devising practical solutions

Stage 1 Identifying the social problem

Entry point - a previous Case Study by Huntley and Owens (2006)

Manipulative, Competitive, Abusive and Respectful Behaviours

Documented contributions from girls - what they liked and disliked in their friendship groups

Analysis of the girls’ responses revealedProblems with groups when the group has

a leaderThe power of non-verbal communicationGirls’ difficulties in having a voice and

speaking up for themselves

Formation of 3 questions

Stage 2 Interviews and Data Collection

Question 1

Have you been expected to go along with the leader of the group or the group’s decision even if you did not agree?

What have you done to cope with these behaviours?

What strategies do you have for managing this situation?

Girls’ responses

2 distinct friendship groups:

Groups with leaders – high levels of indirect aggression – leader domination, bitching, rumours, gossip, exclusion

Groups where all members were equal – far fewer problems

Girls’ strategies for managing a group with a leaderHave a wide range of friendsChoose friendship group carefullyGroups with leaders will always have problemsLearn to speak up and stand up for yourselfDo not repeat the negative behaviours that have been

done to youRemove yourself from gossip, ‘bitchiness’ and back

stabbingWalk away from conflict

Question 2

Have you been easily silenced by a look (daggers, the evil eye), a comment or body language?

What have you done to cope with these behaviours?

What strategies do you have for managing this situation?

Girls’ responses

High percentage spoke of tactics of intimidation and exclusion:

Rolling eyesThe stareCold shoulderSilenceThey stand in front of you and block you

out of the group

Girls’ strategies for managing exclusion and intimidationIgnore it completelyRecognise it as immature and ‘bitchy’

behaviourDo not repeat the behaviours that have

been done to you and that you have seen operating in groups

Walk away – do not stay and be humiliated

Question 3

With your group of friends can you think of a time when you felt it was not okay to say that you disagreed or to voice your own opinion?

What have you done to cope with these behaviours

What strategies do you have for managing this?

Girls’ responses

Many girls were not able to speak up for themselves Easier to remain silent than be ridiculed or humiliated by group Did not want to offend Did not want friends to become angry Did not want to be blamed for upsetting the friendship group Hard to disagree with friends

Lack of confidence kept girls silent Fear of the consequences kept girls silent Inability to problem solve kept girls silent Staying in a dysfunctional group was often easier for girls who were

vulnerable as a dysfunctional group was better than no group

Girls’ strategies for learning to speak up for oneselfLearn to problem solve situationsHave confidence in yourself and learn to speak upTrust your own decisionsKnow where your boundaries and limits areDo not be dependent on group approvalLearn to manage peer pressure by thinking about

situations in advanceFind friends who are mostly like youAsk for help from parents, a trusted friend or the school

counsellor

Stage 3Evaluating the Outcomes

This process supported adolescent girls to highlight and rank 12 of their own key strategies for managing conflict within their friendship groups.

Were able to problem solve situationsHad effective coping skillsKept their emotions in checkHad a wide circle of friendsChose friends most like themselvesWalked away from conflictRefused to be part of bitching, rumour mongering, gossipSpoke up for what they believed inRefused to be part of unsociable peer behaviourKnew right from wrong – had clear boundariesSought help when required

Discussion Girls who coped well and had good strategies for managing conflict:

Girls who were vulnerable to Indirect aggression displayed:

Poor coping skills - used ‘wishful thinking’ as a non productive coping skill

Poor problem solving skillsPoor emotion regulationLacked confidence in themselves and their

abilitiesWere fearful of speaking up because they feared

the consequences

Discussion

Stage 3 – Actionable Outcomes

Consideration of peer mentoring and mediation processes in schools (Owens, Shute and

Slee 2005)

Small group discussions for girls focusing on coping and problem solving skills (Frydenberg and Lewis 2003, Hawkins, McKenzie and Frydenberg 2006)

Confidence building programs for girls

This study has highlighted adolescent girls’ knowledge, creativity and ability to negotiate their way through peer conflict, thereby creating an alternative story for adolescent girls, one that is not debilitated by conflict, but acknowledges their skills and competence for managing conflict.

Conclusion