Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science pp 1–8Cite as

School Bullying

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:

Synonyms

Cyberbullying; Peer-to-peer aggression; Physical bullying; Relational aggression; Relational bullying

Definition

Bullying is most commonly defined based on Olweus’s (1993) definition that includes three elements: (a) an imbalance of power, (b) intent to harm, and (c) is repeated over time. Recently, an alternative definition that integrates recent theory and empirical data has been proposed: “Bullying is aggressive goal-directed behavior that harms another individual within the context of a power imbalance” (Volk et al. 2014, p. 328).

Introduction

Bullying, a subset of aggressive behaviors, is a construct that often elicits strong opinions. Some people believe that bullying is a part of growing up or a rite of passagethat “builds character,” while others view it as a severe problem that can be harmful, even detrimental, to those involved. Bullying can be understood as a “unique but complex form of interpersonal aggression, which takes many forms, serves different functions,...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References

  • American Psychological Association Zero Tolerance Task Force (2008). Are zero tolerance policies effective in the schools? An evidentiary review and recommendations. American Psychologist, 63(9), 852–862. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.63.9.852.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agnew, R. (1992). Foundation for a general strain theory of crime and delinquency. Criminology, 30(1), 47–88. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.1992.tb01093.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, T., & Pelfrey, W. V. (2016). Bullying victimization, social network usage, and delinquent coping in a sample of urban youth: Examining the predictions of general strain theory. Violence and Victims, 31(6), 1021–1043. https://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-14-00154.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beran, T. N., & Tutty, L. (2002). Children’s reports of bullying and safety at school. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 17(2), 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development; experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Browning, C. M., Cooker, P. G., & Sullivan, K. (2005). Help for the bully/peer abuse problem: Is Bully Busters in-service training effective? In VISTAS: Compelling perspectives on counseling (pp. 231–234). Alexandria: American Counseling Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crick, N. R., Werner, N. E., Casas, J. F., O’Brien, K. M., Nelson, D. A., Grotpeter, J. K., & Markon, K. (1999). Childhood aggression and gender: A new look at an old problem. In D. Bernstein (Ed.), Nebraska symposium on motivation (pp. 75–141). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Currie, C., Zanotti, C., Morgan, A., Currie, D., DeLooze, M., Roberts, C., et al. (2012). Social determinants of health and well-being among young people. Health behaviour in school-aged children (HBSC) study: International report from the 2009/2010 survey, Health policy for children and adolescents (Vol. 6). Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Espelage, D. L. (2014). Ecological theory: Preventing youth bullying, aggression, and victimization. Theory Into Practice, 53(4), 257–264. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2014.947216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Felix, E. D., Green, J. G., & Sharkey, J. D. (2014). Best practices in bullying prevention. In P. L. Harrison & A. Thomas (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology: Foundations (pp. 245–258). Bethesda: NASP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hymel, S., & Swearer, S. M. (2015). Four decades of research on school bullying: An introduction. American Psychologist, 70(4), 293–299. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038928.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, G. M., & Puplampu, K. P. (2008). Internet use during childhood and the ecological techno-subsystem. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 34(1), 19–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keith, S. (2017). How do traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization affect fear and coping among students? An application of general strain theory. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-017-9411-9.

  • McGrath, M. J. (2007). School bullying: Tools for avoiding harm and liability. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Menard, S., & Grotpeter, J. K. (2014). Evaluation of Bully-Proofing Your School as an elementary school antibullying intervention. Journal of School Violence, 13(2), 188–209. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2013.840641.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying behaviors among US youth: Prevalence and association with psychological adjustment. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285(16), 2094–2100.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Newman-Carlson, D., & Horne, A. M. (2004). Bully Busters: A psychoeducational intervention for reducing bullying behavior in middle school students. Journal of Counseling & Development, 82(3), 259–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at school. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olweus, D. (1997). Bully/victim problems in school: Facts and intervention. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 12(4), 495–510. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03172807.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olweus, D. (2003). A profile of bullying at school. Educational Leadership, 60(6), 12–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patchin, J. W., & Hinduja, S. (2011). Traditional and nontraditional bullying among youth: A test of general strain theory. Youth Society, 43(2), 727–751. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X10366951.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, J. M. (2013). Beating bullying: How to beat cyberbullying. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rigby, K., & Griffiths, C. (2011). Addressing cases of bullying through the Method of Shared Concern. School Psychology International, 32(3), 345–357. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034311402148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rivkin, J. (2013). Verbal bullying: Take a stand against bullying. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salmivalli, C., Lagerspetz, K., Björkqvist, K., Österman, K., & Kaukiainen, A. (1996). Bullying as a group process: Participant roles and their relations to social status within the group. Aggressive Behavior, 22, 1–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sonneborn, L. (2013). Beating bullying: How to beat verbal bullying. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sutton, J., Smith, P. K., & Swettenham, J. (1999). Bullying and ‘theory of mind’: A critique of the ‘social skills deficit’ view of anti-social behavior. Social Development, 8(1), 117–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swearer, S. M., & Hymel, S. (2015). Understanding the psychology of bullying: Moving toward a social-ecological diathesis–stress model. American Psychologist, 70(4), 344–353.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Volk, A. A., Camilleri, J. A., Dane, A. V., & Marini, Z. A. (2012). Is adolescent bullying an evolutionary adaptation? Aggressive Behavior, 38(3), 222–238. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21418.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Volk, A. A., Dane, A. V., & Marini, Z. A. (2014). What is bullying? A theoretical redefinition. Developmental Review, 34(4), 327–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2014.09.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Volk, A. A., Farrell, A. H., Franklin, P., Mulcarczyk, K. P., & Provenzano, D. A. (2016). Adolescent bullying in schools: An evolutionary perspective. In D. C. Geary & D. B. Berch (Eds.), Evolutionary perspectives on child development and education, evolutionary psychology (pp. 167–191). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29986-0.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Kisha Radliff, Jamie Hall & Merve Ökten

Authors
  1. Kisha Radliff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jamie Hall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Merve Ökten
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kisha Radliff .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. University of South Carolina - Beaufort, Bluffton, SC, USA

    Carey Fitzgerald

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Radliff, K., Hall, J., Ökten, M. (2018). School Bullying. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2491-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2491-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation