Girls' Aggressive Behavior

In contrast to boys' bullying behavior which is often overt and easily visible, girls' aggression is usually indirect and covert. Less research has been conducted on the types of bullying that girls usually engage in. Using focus groups composed of teenaged girls, Dr. Owens and colleagues examine the nature of teenage girls' indirect aggression.

Behaviors by the girls in the focus group found that "bitching" was a common way for girls to join together and defame their peers. Girls also reported using exclusionary behaviors, such as ignoring others, and indirect harassment such as leaving hurtful messages. Reasons given for participating in this behavior include alleviating boredom and to be part of a group.