RESEARCH_FILE
Nicki R. Crick
Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota
Known for:Naming and defining relational aggression, and tracking its costs from childhood into adulthood
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“They hung out without me — I'm being pushed out”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“Two friends having coffee is two friends having coffee. Not a verdict on me.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Open your recent photos or stories for two minutes and write down only the facts you can verify: who was there, what place it was, and whether you actually know why you weren’t there. Stop after three lines.
Key findings
- 1995
Relational aggression — harming others through purposeful manipulation and damage of relationships, like exclusion and rumor-spreading — is a distinct form of aggression; in a sample of 491 children, its targets were more rejected by peers and reported more loneliness, depression and isolation. Relational Aggression, Gender, and Social-Psychological Adjustment ↗
- 1999
In a college sample, relational aggression was common among young adults and associated with adjustment difficulties — with relationally aggressive men as likely as women to be at risk, despite average gender differences in the behavior. Relational aggression and social-psychological adjustment in a college sample ↗