Loyalty isn’t easy to come by for young people in today’s world. Jealously, vindictive behavior and insecurity too often control the actions of young people.

The movie Mean Girls is a perfect example of just how catty girls can be toward one another. Despite the fact that it is a fictitious story, much of what transpires in the film is, unfortunately, true. Cady Heron, the main character, allows her vengeful best friends to convince her to sabotage a malicious girl, Regina George, for pure entertainment. Cady goes as far as to seduce Regina’s boyfriend and turn her friends on her. Over time Cady begins to enjoy these mischievous plans and becomes more evil than Regina.

Of course, even simpler and seemingly gentler stories portray the tragic side of young girls’ relationships with one another. Even the classic tale Cinderella accurately depicts the sneaky, selfish, and competitive personalities that young girls are – essentially – forced to take on to make it to the top, in this case to become a princess. Cinderella’s stepsisters, due to their own selfish needs, try to stuff their feet into the glass slipper. In fact, in the original tale, the two young ladies actually butcher their feet to try and fit them into the shoes.

Betrayal within friendships and family is nothing new, and while some research has shown that vindictive traits are almost instinctive in women, it is wrong to argue that girls possess some innate form of vindictiveness. So then, who or what is to blame? It has to be societal. The “competition” for men’s attention or society’s approval is the more likely candidate.

Society is a competitive place with an attention span that lasts only minutes. Add to this the fact that, according to a social media survey conducted by Targeted News Service, over 90% of teens use social media – a prime landing place for cruel and catty comments-and you’ve got a recipe for cruelty.

For years, female leaders have risen to unite women and prove their equality. However, this is undermined by the competition among females to bring each other down. This is typified by women who argue and battle over small issues such as wearing the same dress or liking the same guy.

Three destructive components-fear, competition and jealously are at the root of why women feel the need to pull one another down. Scarcity is always a concern, so of course we tend to compete, but the insensitivity we show toward one another and a growing lack of morality make for a fearful future.