Representations of Violent Young Women

Abstract

This Q study investigated representations - portrayals of what a person is
like - of young violent women. Its impetus was reporting in the press
which was expressing concern about a rise in "acceptability of violence"
among young women. The data obtained in the study refute this concern.
While the one representation which portrayed a fictional character was
of a woman who was frighteningly violet, the other four depicted women
known to the participants whose Q sorts described the. All of these were
quite "ordinary," their violence was minor, and it was not seen as a
central feature of their character. These results suggest that there is
something of a "moral panic" being created. Some of the reasons for this
are discussed.