whether to include both males and females in a group for adolescents depends on its purpose. Sometimes one-gender will be more appropriate For instance, in a counseling or Psychotherapy group dealing with the trauma and recovery from rape. it may be in the best interest of the group that only girls be included. Likewise. in a structured psychoeducational group for aggressive girls a one-gender group with female leader works best (Cummings, Hoffman. & a Leschied. 2004). In one-gender groups. a key to the success of the group is the identity associated with gender and the topic. This type of identity comes through early socialization patterns. In summing the research on the socialization of boys and girls in groups. Gigliotti (1988, p.277) states that the most reliable differences show that boys play in large groups. whereas girls play in small ones. In addition. Boy’s friendship groups are more extensive or broadly accepting;girl’s friendship groups are more stable and exclusive. Furthermore, boy in a group show more outwardly competitive behavior than girls do.