How do children become victims or perpetrators of bullying?

Françoise Alsaker, pioneer of bullying research in Switzerland, on myths and facts: How do children become victims or perpetrators of bullying? And what do parental home, social status or gender roles have to do with it?

Picture: Pixabay

Interview: Virginia Nolan

Mrs Alsaker, what makes a child susceptible to becoming a victim of bullying?

Victims of bullying feel powerless, helpless and shaken in their self-esteem. They react to this in different ways. Some avoid any closeness to others, others react irritably or indignantly out of desperation. It is a reaction to the stress to which they are exposed, but the community often interprets this as proof that the victim is behaving abnormally. Studies show that victims of bullying are no different from other children in terms of their social behaviour - apart from the fact that they are slightly less able to defend themselves. This finding should be treated with caution, as the children are only questioned once they have already been victimised. Deficits of any kind are never enough to explain bullying. However, they can increase the risk of being bullied in certain group constellations.

In what way?

The prejudice that certain children are predestined to be victims of bullying persists. It is typical for people to focus on the personality and behavioural traits of the child concerned. This perspective is problematic because it places the blame on the victim, but above all it has nothing to do with reality: it can happen to any child. But it is also a fact that bullying does something to the victim's behaviour.

Françoise Alsaker is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Bern. She studied psychology in Bergen, Norway, and was then part of the research team led by Dan Olweus, a pioneer in bullying research. In the 1990s, Alsaker conducted the first bullying study in Switzerland and over the years has sensitised schools and the public to the issue.

For example?

Several studies have identified ADHD as a risk factor. Children with ADHD cannot regulate their emotions well, they react uncontrollably and are easily provoked. This combination makes them a perfect target for bullies: on the one hand, their outbursts of anger serve to amuse others, on the other hand, bullies have an easy time blaming the victim if necessary. Migrant children also have a slightly higher risk of being bullied because language difficulties make it harder for them to integrate into the group.

What risk factors turn children into offenders?

Compared to uninvolved peers, bullies have less empathy and weaker moral values. In contrast, they can assert themselves well, seek contact with others and like to take the lead. A child can have this combination of characteristics, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are a bully. Their risk of falling into this role depends on the group constellation: If the majority of class members are socially positive, a child will not be able to improve his social status by plaguing others. He would lack supporters and an audience.

To what extent does parental education play a role?

We know that all children display aggressive behaviour at some point in their development. It is then crucial whether and how they learn to deal with this aggression, that parents teach them strategies to resolve conflicts and express their anger in a way that does not harm others.

How are bullying and social status related?

Not at all. Bullies come from all social classes. Even where financial resources are available, there are parents who lack the time or interest to engage with their child. If parents are present in their children's lives and show them appreciation, if they have an open ear, create a framework for guidance and set boundaries, children are equipped for a lot.

Do girls bully differently to boys?

Girls are less frequently involved in bullying than boys, both as victims and perpetrators. They therefore show less aggression overall, but when they do, they seem to favour indirect forms of bullying such as exclusion or social ostracism of the victim. Boys also use these bullying strategies. Overall, however, physical attacks are more common among them.

How do you explain these differences?

One explanation is that stereotypical expectations of gender roles play a role. According to this theory, girls are brought up not to express anger and aggression openly. Another theory is that indirect forms of bullying require more pronounced social and linguistic skills and that girls are ahead of boys in this area. I am not convinced by this, especially as indirect forms of bullying already occur in kindergarten, when language skills and social maturity are generally not yet very well developed.

When it comes to bullying interventions in schools, there seems to be a consensus that offenders should not be punished. How sensible is that?

Experience has shown that punishments do not help to break up negative group dynamics and the associated role structure. However, this does not mean that we should not start with the bullies. I remember the action of a teacher to whom a pupil confided that he was being bullied on the way to school. Another boy was in charge. In the meantime, the parents offered to escort the child concerned when the teacher asked them to refrain from doing so. Instead, she personally picked up the bully at home and told him that she would continue to do so until he left the other child alone. The boy stopped his attacks immediately.

In case of doubt, however, the victim almost always has to change schools or classes.

Whilst the victim's parents will eventually push for this measure, the bullies' parents often don't even know about the problem their children are involved in. It would therefore be much more complicated for the school to transfer the bullies. Personally, I would be very much in favour of a school taking the trouble to draw up regulations that would make it possible to transfer bullies if necessary. I don't see this step as a punishment, but as an opportunity for a child who would have better development opportunities in a different group constellation.