Mean Girls - Tracy Vaillancourt | Maiden Mother Matriarch 73
Apr 28, 2024
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Tracy Vaillancourt, a professor at the University of Ottawa, discusses aggression among teenage girls, the challenges of competitive women forming friendships, jealousy and self-esteem in social comparisons, and gender dynamics in sports. The podcast highlights the importance of supporting each other, managing competition in team sports, and understanding women's reactions to attractive peers.
Girls exhibit indirect aggression towards successful peers due to jealousy and intolerance for 'tall poppies', contrasting with boys' admiration for top players.
Encouraging girls to focus on self-improvement and competing to excel fosters a supportive team environment, combating negative behaviors.
Female social dynamics stem from historical competition for resources, with women's sensitivity to comparisons peaking during prime fertility years, emphasizing the need for bias recognition and internal growth promotion.
Deep dives
Girls' Social Comparisons and Indirect Aggression in Sports
Girls, across different performance levels, display intolerance towards 'tall poppies' or successful team members, leading to jealousy and subsequent indirect aggression to tear down achievers. This contrasts with boys, where the best player is typically admired. Indirect aggressive behaviors in girls teams include exclusion, gossip, and derisive looks, aiming to manage social comparisons and maintain self-esteem.
Promoting Healthy Competition and Self-Improvement
A key strategy to combat negative behaviors is encouraging girls to focus on self-improvement rather than comparing themselves to others. Emphasizing competing to excel rather than tearing down successful peers helps foster a supportive team environment. Addressing perfectionist tendencies and setting realistic goals aid in boosting confidence and growth.
Managing Female Social Dynamics and Conflict Resolution
Issues in female interaction stem from competition for limited resources historically, leading to complex social dynamics. Women's sensitivity to social comparisons tends to peak during peak fertility years, gradually declining with age and reduced focus on comparisons. Strategies like recognizing bias and promoting internal growth can enhance cohesion and reduce conflicts.
Understanding Women's Social Behavior Evolutionarily
Women's evolved behavior reflects adaptation to historical resource scarcity and the need for collaboration while competing. Indirect aggression and social comparisons arise as mechanisms to navigate competitive environments. The reinforcement of certain norms, like intolerance towards 'sexy' peers, demonstrates ongoing challenges in managing intrasexual competition.
Gender Differences in Social Perception and Self-Justification
Men and women exhibit distinct gossip patterns, with men often sharing accomplishments and achievements. Conversely, women engage in more negative gossip about peers, indicating varying social perceptions and behavior justifications. Moral disengagement and self-justification mechanisms play roles in rationalizing negative behaviors, highlighting gender differences in social cognition and interaction.
My guest today is Tracy Vaillancourt, professor in the Faculty of Education and the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, and also the Canada Research Chair in School-Based Mental Health and Violence Prevention. We spoke about aggression among teenage girls, how boys and girls differ in their aggressive tactics, why women dislike overt sexin…
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