Book Review

Submitted by: Rhonda Turner

Underwood, M. K., (2003). Social aggression among girls. New York: Guilford. 300 pages.

Social aggression, characterized by humiliation, taunting threats and social ostracism is all too common in schools with survey data indicating that 40 to 80 percent of students report they have been targeted for such harassment (Juvonen, & Graham, 2001). In a recent study, 31% of girls reported being harassed often, on an almost daily basis (Crockett, 2004). Although initially ignored in the literature on bullying and aggression (Crick, Casas & Mosher, 1997), aggression among girls has been the topic of much recent attention in the scientific and popular literature. This is a sea of change from early research which focused on physical aggression, leading to a nearly exclusive focus on boys (Coie & Dodge, 1998) among whom this behavior is more frequent (Bjorkqvist, 1994).

In her book, Social Aggression Among Girls, Marion Underwood (2003) provides a thoughtful analysis of the empirical literature on gender and aggression. She successfully integrates research on emotion regulation, aggression, gender, and peer relations in an effort to uncover the developmental trajectory of social aggression, its consequences, and whether intervention is practicable. The book is divided into three sections that address the current state of research including methodological challenges faced by the field, developmental pathways toward social aggression and the clinical implications of the knowledge gathered to date.

With the stated goal to “explore how girls develop particular ways of expressing anger and aggression with peers,” Underwood seeks to uncover “what dispositional and socialization factors interact to result in girls so desperately needing and wanting close relationships, then using these to break each others’ hearts. (p. 11) An admirable quality of Underwood’s writing is her effort to maintain continuity of format across chapters in the three sections. Even more admirable is her careful delineation of constructs, including aggression and bullying, and social, relational and indirect aggression, which often overlap and intertwine in the research she summarizes. Another particular strength of Underwood’s work is its scope. Although the title suggests an exclusive occupation with girls, Underwood describes aggression across gender and developmental stage (infancy through adulthood), integrating the best work from multiple fields.

Most importantly, Underwood wisely avoids acceptance that there are two dichotomous forms of aggression: male and female. Warning against the intuitive and stereotypical appeal of the notion of “male” aggression and “female” aggression, she emphasizes that neither form of aggression is the sole domain of either gender and backs up her conclusions with a thorough review of the extant literature. In so doing, she provides a vital counterpoint to the proliferation of books, media reports and even movies that have embraced and proliferated the stereotype of “mean girls”.

– Rhonda Turner