BULLYING

Bullying

Bullying

Outline

Bullying is a very old phenomenon; European researchers have studied its effects for decades. Until recently, however, the issue has received less attention from researchers in the United States, perhaps because of the prevailing belief that bullying among children is inevitable. Considering that bullying often is a sign that aggressive or violent behavior is present elsewhere in children's lives--young children may be acting out at school what they have observed and learned in the home--and the fact that bullying among primary school-age children is now recognized as an antecedent to progressively more violent behavior in later grades (Saufler & Gagne, 2000), it behooves teachers to take notice. Children who bully others are likely to have some general characteristics in common. They tend to be physically stronger than other students (especially their targets) and are physically effective in play, sports, and fights (especially boys). They desire to dominate others and assert themselves through aggression or threats of aggression, tending to always "want their own way" and to brag about themselves. Children who bully may be described as hot-tempered, impulsive, easily frustrated, oppositional, defiant, and good at talking themselves out of difficult situations. Those who bully tend to show little empathy for those they target and are not typically anxious or insecure, with better than average self-esteem. They may be average to above average in popularity and academic performance, although popularity and performance tend to wane somewhat as they get into middle school and even more so in high school.

Background

Unfortunately, teachers have differing attitudes toward children who bully. Most teachers are aware that bullying begins early, yet many appear to believe the myth that children "picking on" or teasing one another is a "normal" part of childhood. They also may believe that these conflicts are best resolved by the children themselves. Consequently, some teachers do not intervene. Characteristics of Bullies and Their Victims

Bullying refers to repeated, unprovoked, harmful actions by one child or children against another. The acts may be physical or psychological. Physical, or direct, bullying includes hitting; kicking, pushing, grabbing toys from other children, and engaging in very rough and intimidating play. Psychological bullying includes name calling, making faces, teasing, taunting, and making threats. Indirect, or less obvious and less visible, bullying includes exclusion and rejection of children from a group.

Children who bully are impulsive, dominate others, and show little empathy. They display what Olweus (1991) defines as an "aggressive personality pattern combined with physical strength" (p. 425). Without intervention, the frequency and severity of the bullying behaviors may increase. Even more disturbing, it appears that the patterns of bullying learned in the early years can set children on a course of violence later in life (Baumeister, 2001). Although a longstanding characterization of children who bully points to their low self-esteem, there is little empirical evidence to support this view. In fact, more recent research (Baumeister, 2001) suggests that an inflated self-esteem increases the odds of aggressive behavior. When a bully's self-regard is seriously threatened by insults or criticisms, ...