Why Do Bullies Bully?

Abstract

Although bullying has a long history of research, the question of why exactly people bully has received relatively little attention until recently. A closer view on motives provides a better understanding of the needs individuals try to fulfill and the goals they try to achieve by bullying. To understand why people bully, the better question to ask is "what do bullies want?" Slowly, more attention is being paid to motives in bullying research. This chapter reviews research on bullying motives (and related concepts such as needs and goals) and explains the value of taking these into account in anti-bullying interventions.Motives are commonly defined as the "why" of behavior (McAdams, 2002). Someone who is motivated will be moved to do something (Ryan & Deci, 2000. People have different types of motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2000), for instance a motive for status or belonging. Goals are a reflection of these motives (Volk, Dane, & Marini, 2014). Distinct, but related, to motives are the terms needs and drives. We will not focus on the differences between definitions but rather on the question that all these terms help to answer: why do bullies bully?Motives can shed light on the purpose of bullying behavior. For example, consider a high school student who wants to belong to a group. If it appears (consciously or unconsciously) to her that the goal of being part of a group can be reached by bullying, she might be inclined toward bullying behavior. Bullying can be considered goaloriented behavior; in this case, the purpose is being accepted by peers. Other researchers have argued that bullying should be seen as goal-directed behavior (e.g., Volk et al., 2014). As Volk, Veenstra, and Espelage (2017) suggest, using a goal-oriented focus to study bullying allows researchers to better understand why youths are motivated to bully, as well as to identify potential alternative approaches in which adolescents can achieve their desired goal.Bullying has often been viewed as a deficiency of social-cognitive skills, such as a lack of empathy, poor interpersonal skills, or difficulties with theory of mind. However, this

Psycho-Social Correlates of Cyberbullying among Polish Adolescents

“…Although many previous studies indicate that males are more likely to engage in cyberbullying than females, there is now evidence that perpetration and victimization are equal in both genders [ 12 , 20 , 21 ]. However, research indicates that gender differences in cyberbullying behavior vary by geographical region; hence, as Barlett and Coyne [ 22 ] note, cyberbullying should be conceptualized as a social and cultural phenomenon [ 10 ].…”

“…Cyberbullying takes place through the various means of information and communication technologies (ICT), so the way we use them provides a context for the analysis of the phenomenon [ 21 ]. ICT have become an integral part of our lives, facilitating the acquisition of data, communication, work, study, and entertainment.…”

“…Some researchers [ 21 ], in their attempt to explain the mechanism underlying the relationship between PIU and cyberbullying, suggest that excessive screen time increases one’s chances to interact with violent media content, which, according to social learning theory [ 23 ], can result in increased aggressive behavior. The claims of this theory in relation to cyberbullying are supported by contemporary research.…”

“…Another hypothesis of interest in this context is that Internet addiction leads to poorer psychosocial functioning, translating into increased irritability, which can result in aggression [ 6 , 21 ]. Keles, McCrae, and Grealish [ 109 ], who performed a systematic review of studies, found that time spent on social media, active use of social media and social media addiction are significant risk factors for depression, anxiety, and psychological distress.…”