CONTENTS

About This Course

Table of Contents

1. School Bullying: What It Is and Why It Hurts
2. The Role of Bullies, Victims, and Witnesses
3. Factors Contributing to Bullying and Violence
4. Screening and Assessment
5. Treatment For Children and Adolescents
6. Prevention and Intervention
7. Legal and Ethical Issues

Supplements
Case Studies
Fact Sheets
References
Resources

The ABCs of Bullying
Addressing, Blocking, and Curbing School Aggression

Why Children Bully

There are many reasons why a child may bully others or display behaviors that are hurtful and intimidating. These include:ref^, ref

• Frustration. A child feels impaired or out of control and has not learned adequate ways to deal constructively with this frustration. The bully may have an undiagnosed learning problem, or may have an unresolved emotional problem.
• Rewarded. The bully is rewarded for his/her behavior and feels a sense of power.
• Victim of abuse. The child is being abused at home and is expressing his or her anger at younger or smaller children at school.
• Victim of neglect. The child's emotional, spiritual, and developmental needs are not being adequately met.
• The child is being bullied. If responsible adults have repeatedly failed to address the child's victimization, the child learns that exhibiting aggressive behavior may be the only way to avoid the bullying environment.
• Influence of others. The child may have fallen in with the wrong crowd (e.g., one that supports and practices violence, as well as drugs and alcohol).
• Poor or no role model. If the child does not have a positive role model at home to reflect proper means of expressing anger and/or frustration, the child then learns destructive behaviors.
• Conduct disorder. A bully may have a conduct disorder. If left undiagnosed, the disorder may lead to other personality disorders.