2. Definition
• Bullying is defined in three parts by researcher Dan Olweus in
Vlachou, Andreou, Botsoglou, and Didaskalou’s (2011) review:
- “(1) it is an aggressive behavior of intentional ‘harmdoing
- (2) which is carried out repeatedly and over time
- (3) in an interpersonal relationship characterized by an
imbalance of power,” (p. 331).
• Bullying is most commonly shown through verbal abuse:
- name-calling, threatening, spreading rumors/lies, mocking, judging
and criticizing, and more.
• Bullying can also take the form of physical abuse:
- fighting, punching, slapping, kicking, and sexual abuse
4. The Causes
• How a child is cared for in early years
• Socioeconomic status
• Sibling relationships
• Parent relationships
5. Early Years
• The attachment theory suggests that the style of
attachment a child experiences in their early life can
continue from their early childhood to their adult
relationships.
• There are two main types of attachments:
1. Ambivalent
- Showed through dependency, fear of abandonment, separation
problems, and more
2. Avoidant
- Showed by not seeking help when it’s needed, having withdrawal
symptoms from separation, and more.
- More likely to become bullies later in life
• Insecure relationships/attachments can lead to bullying.
6. Socioeconomic Status
• 1/3 of the 6,379 children studied between ages five and six, of
low socioeconomic status were involved in bullying (Jansen,
2012) .
- They may not have the same access to tools, resources, and
knowledge to develop better behavior patterns.
• Low socioeconomic status has been linked to aggression,
which is a very common trait in bullies (Vlachou et al.’s, 2011) .
• More stress from economic and financial troubles could result
in less time and support to children, which can lead to
children’s feelings of rejection and less feelings of warmth in
the family.
7. Sibling Relationships
• 60% of bullies and victims reported that their siblings had
bullied them (Vlachou et al., 2011).
- Children often look up to their older siblings, so if an older sibling
uses their power to bully them, the younger children might think that
behavior is okay and imitate that behavior outside the family setting.
• Bullies ultimately try to achieve power.
- If a child witnesses the success of a sibling's bullying behavior, it can
then become a model for them to follow in their own situations of
attempting to gain power.
8. Parent Relationships
• Bullying is more likely to stem from children in dysfunctional
families where there is less emotional support for the children
and where there is possible abuse.
• “Studies have shown that children “who lack a secure
relationship with a dominant adult – usually a parent – will try
to dominate their peers,” (Hammer, 2012, p. 1).
• Children that have unstable relationships with their parents
have been known to pick on the weak.
9. Limitations
• It is hard to observe children verbally abusing each other
because they don’t normally do it around adults; instead they
do it around their peers.
• Children do not want to tattle on the bully or are afraid if the
word gets out that they told they too would get bullied.
• Kids' stories are not necessarily always true.
• Some of the results can be confusing.
• Opposing results
• The age groups that the researchers study are different.
10. Conclusion
• Bullies become bullies because they can.
• More bullies displayed an avoidant attachment.
• Most bullies have reported that their siblings bullied them at
home.
• Children and young adults’ relationships with their parents, as
well as the continued atmosphere of tolerance, can also cause
bullying.
• Bullies lack self-control, the ability to empathize, feel guilty or
embarrassed, so the methods in which they have learned to
respond, in social situations, do not conform to the generally
accepted social behaviors of society as a whole.
11. References
• Austin, S. M., Reynolds, G. P., & Barnes, S. L. (2012). School Leadership and
Counselors Working Together to Address Bullying. Education, 133(2), 283-
290.
• Hammer, K. (2012). Trying to teach empathy to stop bullying. Globe & Mail
(Toronto, Canada), A6.
• Henry, S. (2004). Bullying -- Like Father Like Son? The contentious findings of
a year long study. Education Journal, (77), 23-26.
• Jansen, P. W., Verlinden, M., Berkel, A., Mieloo, C., Ende, J., Veenstra, R.,
Verhulst, F. C., Jansen, W., & Tiemeier, H. (2012). Prevalence of bullying and
victimization among children in early elementary school: Do family and
school neighbourhood socioeconomic status matter? BMC Public Health,
12(1), 1-18.
• Koiv, K. (2012). Attachment Styles among Bullies, Victims and Uninvolved
Adolescents. Online Submission, 160-165.
• Vlachou, M., Andreou, E., Botsoglou, K., & Didaskalou, E. (2011).
Bully/Victim Problems among Preschool Children: A Review of Current
Research Evidence. Educational Psychology Review, 23(3), 329-358.
