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 Styles Addressing the problems Girls’ 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 - interviews Fieldwork – interviews, clarification of data Analysis 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 revealed Problems with groups when the group has a leader The power of non-verbal communication Girls’ 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 leader Have a wide range of friends Choose friendship group carefully Groups with leaders will always have problems Learn to speak up and stand up for yourself Do not repeat the negative behaviours that have been done to you Remove yourself from gossip, ‘bitchiness’ and back stabbing Walk 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 eyes The stare Cold shoulder Silence They stand in front of you and block you out of the group

Girls’ strategies for managing exclusion and intimidation Ignore it completely Recognise it as immature and ‘bitchy’ behaviour Do 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 oneself Learn to problem solve situations Have confidence in yourself and learn to speak up Trust your own decisions Know where your boundaries and limits are Do not be dependent on group approval Learn to manage peer pressure by thinking about situations in advance Find friends who are mostly like you Ask for help from parents, a trusted friend or the school counsellor

Stage 3 Evaluating 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 situations Had effective coping skills Kept their emotions in check Had a wide circle of friends Chose friends most like themselves Walked away from conflict Refused to be part of bitching, rumour mongering, gossip Spoke up for what they believed in Refused to be part of unsociable peer behaviour Knew right from wrong – had clear boundaries Sought 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 skills Poor emotion regulation Lacked confidence in themselves and their abilities Were 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