Do "Mean Girls" Make Good Friends? (2009)

Undergraduates: Angharad Ames, Nicole Heilbron

Faculty Advisor: Mitch Prinstein
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

---

The purpose of this study was to examine longitudinal associations between friendship qualities and relational aggression to address the theory that engagement in relationally aggressive behavior with a close friend may beneficially affect the friendship. It was hypothesized that adolescents with high levels of relational aggression would report increases in levels of intimacy and stability within their best friendships over time and that relational aggression would be associated with increased positive friendship qualities within reciprocated, stable best friendships. The sample consisted of 520 6th-8th grade adolescents from a middle-class community who were assessed twice at annual time points. Participants completed a sociometric assessment measuring friendship affiliations and relational aggression as well as a measurement of friendship quality to assess their very best friendships. Results demonstrate that high levels of relational aggression were associated longitudinally with increases in friendship intimacy for girls, perceptions of dominance for both genders, and intimacy and support within stable, reciprocated best friendship. Results offer implications for theories regarding the potentially adaptive significance of relational aggression in adolescent friendships.