Self-help Articles

by Dewey G. Cornell, Ph.D. & Ann B. Loper, Ph.D.

Most of the research on those who engage in bullying behavior has focused on personality characteristics of bullies or their victims. This study looks instead at the familial and environmental factors that may contribute to the origins of a bully, or more precisely, bullying behavior.

What is a Bully?

Bullying is defined as inflicting physical, verbal or emotional abuse on another individual or individuals. Researchers from the Center for Adolescent Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington gathered data from 558 6th, 7th and 8th graders at a midwestern middle school.

Based on their responses to a questionnaire designed to assess the frequency of bullying behavior, the researchers divided the students into three groups:

• those who engaged in little or not bullying behavior (228 respondents),
• those who reported a moderate level of bullying (243 respondents) and
• those who reported excessive amounts of bullying behaviors (87 respondents)

The Results

Those who reported the highest bullying behavior were also most likely to report "significantly greater levels of forceful parental discipline, viewing of TV violence, misconduct at home and in the community, and fighting," the researchers concluded.

They spent less time with adults, had fewer adult role models and fewer positive peer influences. Another 32 percent of them lived in a step-family household and 36 percent lived in a single parent household. They also had a higher level of exposure to gang activity and easier access to guns.

This information received from the American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC.