"Who am I?": The Gender Identity Formation and Peer Group Relations of Early Adolescent Girls
Date
1997
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Haverford College. Department of Psychology
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Award
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eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
Early adolescence is the time when biological, cognitive, and psychosocial pressures multiply, particularly for girls. This research explored gendered identity development and peer group relations among seventh grade girls. Specifically, we examined the idea of "the popular girl" as a symbol of the cultural female stereotype, and how girls identified themselves in relation to that concept. 20 girls participated in this study, completing objective assessments of perceived competence, sex role identification, and sex role attitudes. They also responded to a projective questionnaire designed to measure these same features. Following an initial assessment, girls participated in an intervention where they read either a traditional or progressive girls' magazine, and responded to it in group discussion. It was predicted that girls who read the progressive magazine would become more critical of their social worlds in a post-intervention test, while mainstream girls would not change. Results indicated only partial support of the intervention, but a clinical assessment of the responses demonstrated the need for more educational programs for girls like that performed in the present study.