Varieties of Childhood Bullying: Values, Emotion Processes, and Social Competence

Abstract

Understanding the nature of bullies and bullying is of considerable theoretical and practical importance. We offer a commentary on a recent debate on this topic between Swettenham (1999a, 1999b) and Crick and Dodge (1999). In this commentary, we first summarize the main points of the debate, including alternative views of bullies as social inadequates versus Machiavellian schemers. Then we clarify some unresolved issues concerning the nature and limits of social competence and the roles of values in both social competence and in bullying. Finally, it is argued that variations in children's emotion processes, such as emotionality and emotion regulation, also may underlie some of the individual differences that have been found in empathy, social information processing, and in reactive ('hot-headed') and proactive ('cold-blooded') aggressive and bullying patterns.

Educating for Adulthood or for Citizenship: social competence as an educational goal

“…With regard to the intrapersonal dimension of social competence, attention is mainly paid to self-respect (Rotheram, 1987) and self-control or self-regulation (Beelman et al, 1994;Schneider et al, 1996). Halberstadt et al (2001) also argue for attention to be paid to the intra-psychological or relational aspects of emotions (see also Arsenio & Lemerise, 2001). A third dimension can be derived from the citizenship perspective: the societal dimension.…”

“…The literature also deals with young people's attitude towards others as a meaningful aspect of social competence. In a study on bullying, Arsenio and Lemerise (2001) define children's attitudes in terms of their moral values: what do they consider to be 'good', 'wrong', etc.? In a similar way, someone's self-image can be understood as a value orientation.…”

“…a social cognition dimension, does not mean that the skills aspect of social competence does not have a cognitive component (Lenhart & Rabiner, 1995). But social knowledge and social skills and social behaviour are relatively independent components (Arsenio & Lemerise, 2001).…”

O fenômeno bullying ou vitimização entre pares na atualidade: definições, formas de manifestação e possibilidades de intervenção

“…Revelam pouca preocupação com o outro (ausência de capacidade empática) e valem-se do bullying para manter o poder no grupo (Arsenio e Lemerise, 2000; Sutton et al, 1999). Quando os jovens denominados de bully-vítimas não estão no papel de agressores, mas no de vítimas num grupo, podem lançar mão de valores morais para se autoproteger e evitar os ataques dos agressores (Arsenio e Lemerise, 2000). No entanto, quando estão no papel de agressores, mostram-se indiferentes aos valores morais de que se valeram em outros momentos para se defender; não se preocupam com a segurança nem com o bem-estar das vítimas (Arsenio e Lemerise, 2000).…”

“…Quando os jovens denominados de bully-vítimas não estão no papel de agressores, mas no de vítimas num grupo, podem lançar mão de valores morais para se autoproteger e evitar os ataques dos agressores (Arsenio e Lemerise, 2000). No entanto, quando estão no papel de agressores, mostram-se indiferentes aos valores morais de que se valeram em outros momentos para se defender; não se preocupam com a segurança nem com o bem-estar das vítimas (Arsenio e Lemerise, 2000). O grupo de pares pode apontar essas crianças como líderes evidentes, mas também como pessoas que iniciam brigas.…”