A Psychoanalytic Inquiry Into Social Aggression As a Form of Bullying Among Female Students
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Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia Southern Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of Fall 2011 A Psychoanalytic Inquiry into Social Aggression as a Form of Bullying among Female Students Tina Martin Debevec Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd Recommended Citation Debevec, Tina Martin, "A Psychoanalytic Inquiry into Social Aggression as a Form of Bullying among Female Students" (2011). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 560. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/560 This dissertation (open access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A PSYCHOANALYTIC INQUIRY INTO SOCIAL AGGRESSION AS A FORM OF BULLYING AMONG FEMALE STUDENTS by TINA MARTIN DEBEVEC (Under the Direction of Marla Morris) ABSTRACT Bullying among children and adolescents, particularly within the school setting, has drawn much attention in recent years as a reaction to an onslaught of high profile school violence in the 1990s. While much attention and research focused upon physical violence that was prevalent among male students, very little research covered indirect, relational, and social forms of aggression. Research into the covert manners of aggression that involved the manipulation of relationships revealed them to be salient among female students, demonstrating that female students were predominantly aggressive in a different manner than their male counterparts. Psychoanalytic theories of attachment and aggression guide this research as a theoretical framework for interpreting social aggression as a form of bullying among adolescent female students. To better understand the influences of society upon the developing psyches of young females, which also encompass the influence of mothers, social media, and the hidden curriculum of schooling, psychoanalytic theories of attachment and aggression offer insight to the following questions: How do societal perceptions of the female gender lead to a prevalence of social aggression? What perpetuates social aggression as a form of bullying among female students? A detailed exploration of the conflicting societal perceptions and expectations placed upon female 1 students is included. In addition, the increased use of social media adds another method of covert aggression to the repertoire of adolescent girls via cyberbullying. Finally, a look at the hidden curriculum in schools indicates a reiteration of societal expectations for females, as well as a diminished focus upon relationships with students as teachers struggle to meet increasing academic demands. The developing psyches of adolescent females are challenged by the conflicting societal perceptions of females, cyber-communications, as well as the hidden curriculum of schooling, all of which function as impediments to relationships among adolescent females. Through socially aggressive means, girls have found an inconspicuous outlet through which to channel their aggression toward one another. Suggestions for facilitating change with the involvement of parents, bystanders, and educators are included for improving the relational attachments of adolescent female students in an effort to reduce the prevalence and impact of social aggression. INDEX WORDS: Psychoanalysis, Social aggression, Relational aggression, Indirect aggression, Bullying, Female students, Cyberbullying, Hidden curriculum 2 A PSYCHOANALYTIC INQUIRY INTO SOCIAL AGGRESSION AS A FORM OF BULLYING AMONG FEMALE STUDENTS by TINA MARTIN DEBEVEC B.S., Georgia Southern University, 1994 M.Ed., Georgia Southern University, 1998 Ed.D., Georgia Southern University, 2011 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION STATESBORO, GEORGIA 2011 3 © 2011 TINA MARTIN DEBEVEC All Rights Reserved 4 A PSYCHOANALYTIC INQUIRY INTO SOCIAL AGGRESSION AS A FORM OF BULLYING AMONG FEMALE STUDENTS by TINA MARTIN DEBEVEC Major Professor: Marla Morris Committee: John Weaver Julie Maudlin Mary Doll Electronic Version Approved: December 2011 5 DEDICATION To my husband, Austin Debevec, for his encouragement, unwavering support, and love throughout this journey And to my precious children, Jake and Eli, for your unconditional love that constantly reminds me of the importance of being a ―good enough mother‖ 6 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My family deserves my deepest appreciation for encouraging me to complete this degree. You all are my greatest blessings in life and I love you to the depths of my soul. To my husband, Austin, thank you for being wonderful to me during this process. The journey has been long, tedious, and trying many times, but you continued to sacrifice of yourself to help me achieve this goal. The greatest comfort has come from knowing that our children have an exceptional father who made it a priority to care for them while I was busy writing. By your parenting of our children, I am inspired. Jake and Eli, becoming your mother answered a multitude of prayers. My hope is that you will always remember the importance of relationships with others as you pursue goals of your own. Loving you has influenced my life beyond anything I could have imagined. I love you to the moon and back again! To Katie and Aadam, for becoming my ―inherited‖ children when I married your father, thank you for accepting me into your family with open arms while you were small children. I have learned a lot about being a mother through my relationship with you. Hopefully your father and I have modeled for all of you a marriage built upon partnership, sacrifice, and love. I also wish to thank my mother for instilling in me a strong work ethic. You have taught me that I could achieve my dreams through hard work and determination. I have always known that being my mother was your priority and I hope that I am conveying the same message to my own children. Thank you for always giving me better than what you ever had. Through your constant love, care and generosity, you have shaped my life more than you will ever know. 7 To my wonderful ―High Council‖ friends, DuAnn Davis, Cindy Phillips, and Casey Corbett, with whom I have shared a friendship for approximately 35 years, you all are the best! While writing about aggression among females, I was constantly reminded of the unique and special love that we share, epitomizing the support that all women ought to provide for one another. I cherish every moment of our shared secrets, giggles, heartaches, and bantering over the years. My life has been enriched and inspired by each of you. Let us always share a special bond. To my committee members, Dr. Marla Morris, Dr. John Weaver, Dr. Julie Maudlin, and Dr. Mary Doll, thank you all for your patience and guidance while working with me for many years to complete this dissertation. You each offered a different perspective and insight that guided aspects of my research and writing. Dr. Marla Morris, I would like to thank you especially for serving as my committee chair. It was you who first introduced me to the idea of reading Winnicott and applying psychoanalytic theory to my interest in social aggression among females. From my fledgling beginning with psychoanalysis, I have grown to enjoy the depth and engagement that it offers to research. These acknowledgements would be incomplete without the inclusion of Dr. Starla Barker, my special friend and colleague. We began the doctoral program together many years ago, and our camaraderie and trust grew as we travelled to and from GSU for classes. Having a companion throughout the process made it bearable. It is my great pleasure to continue our friendship as we work closely together on a daily basis. Each day proves to be a blessing as we interact with our students and strive to make school a 8 welcoming place for them. As we continue our careers in education, I am grateful that we are alike enough to get along so well, yet diverse enough to keep it fun and interesting as we begin each day with a new adventure. Finally, I wish to thank all of the prayer warriors who supported me along the way, and especially Debbie Parker for texting me encouragement at 5:30 a.m. You have been faithful to pray for my progress in the wee hours while the rest of my world slumbered. ―Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place‖ 2 Corinthians 2:14. It is with exuberance that I give God all of the glory for the strength and perseverance to complete this goal. Hallelujah! 9 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................................7 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................13 Social Aggression and Her Sisters: Commonly Used Terms .............................14 My Cathartic Journey .........................................................................................19 General Overview of Study ................................................................................24 Curriculum Studies and the Feminine Voice ......................................................28 Characterizing