Stress and Gender Differences

In addition to personality characterisitics, there are some fairly typical gender differences in the way young men and women respond to stress.
Reportedly, boys suddenly become "vanishing experts" around the house. They spend a lot of time away from home with their peers, "hanging around the neighborhood." They are extremely reluctant to state where, with whom, or when they will likely return. In order to avoid messy conflicts with parents, they say "yes" to requests, but simply avoid fulfilling the request.
They are found to be less verbal and more physical in their response to stress than girls. Their physical expression can be either active, throwing things or putting a fist through a wall, or passive by becoming a slug in front of the TV.

In contrast, girls are often more verbal in dealing with stress. At home, they may engage in non-stop verbal sparring with siblings or parents. They can adopt "sneaky and lying" behaviors and spend more time manipulating friends and family in an effort to boost their self-esteem or status. They tend to be more aware of subtle changes in relationships, and more vocal in expressing insecurity, jealousy, and competitiveness. This description fits the female teenager who is overt in responding to stress. There is also a flip side, the passive female who holds all her feelings inside and attempts to keep a very controlled image on the surface.