Study Finds Children of Both Genders Able to Identify “Mean” Behaviors
March 6th, 2010
Though young boys and girls may display negative thoughts and feelings in distinct ways, a recent study conducted at Griffith University has found that children are good at identifying “mean” behaviors regardless of their gender. The study was produced with the help of in-depth interviews conducted with adolescents, and results found that the participants had a good sense of which behaviors were mean, and were also able to produce rationale for the mean actions of others, including a need for social dominance, jealousy or anger, and low self-esteem.
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Comments
Oh don’t be fooled- boys and girls both know the meaning of bad behavior and when they are being mean to someone else. I just happen to think that sometimes girls are a little sneakier when they are mean and are verbally and emotionally mean whereas boys are meaner when it comes to using their physicality.
Adults may have a bias when they are to decide what contributes to mean behaviour and this may be a gender bias with the observer being a little more harsh on the opposite sex. But children, as innocent and unbiased they are, can identify and point out such ‘mean’ behaviors without any such prejudices, and as the development of both male and female kids happens at the same time, the similarities are imminent.
Our society for one has a way of stressing to little boys especially that they have to take up for themselves and that the best way for them to do this is for them to do it in a physical manner. You see this with even very small children and this is not a very helpful lesson to be teaching the kids.
Of course kids of all ages can distinguish between behaviors that are good and those that are bad because they are typically the ones who are going to be on the receiving end of the bad behavior. The best thing that we can do is try to instill more good behavior traits in our kids instead of rewarding the ones that are bad and which are likley to be viewed by others as bad as well.
even though boys and girls may be equivalent when it comes to identifying mean behaviors at a young age, I just think girls have an edge later on, as they can identify a person’s intentions better with their so-called ‘sixth’ sense…
it is because of this sixth sense that girls are able to ward off unwanted attention and to get themselves out of possible unpleasant situations.
although the way in which kids of different gender demonstrate this may vary, it is no doubt that they are both able to recognise such a behaviour.
because there is not too much stress on masculinity or feminity involved in little kids, it comes as no surpirse that they experience and exhibit similar stuff.
There is no rationale for being mean and we should not teach our kids that there is.
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