For adolescents, especially younger adolescents (tweens, middle schoolers, and even younger) being accepted into “the group” is THE most important thing on their radar. Their brains are wired to seek acceptance from their peers, and it literally feels like a life and death situation. These social issues are extremely complicated for teens and tweens. From individual manipulation, social maneuvering, and constant stress – they deal with it daily.

Decades of scientific research reveals the teenage struggle for “popularity” causes aggressive behavior, which manifests differently between the sexes. Girls tend to use more relational aggression or “mean girl behavior”, while boys generally favor more physical and verbal aggression (but use relational aggression as well).

In this episode we’ll discuss social stress, friend groups, “popularity”, and zero in on relational aggression. You’ll learn what it looks like and how you can help your teen or tween deal with it, while keeping your relationship with them intact.

Access TRANSCRIPT here.

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