Michael
Dec 9th 2009, 08:16 PM
How to Turn Your Kid Into a Bully
A new study links bullying behavior by adolescents to the perception they are not treated fairly by their parents.
How are bullies born? The issue has been the subject of intense study, particularly in the decade since two students who had been bullied went on a violent rampage at Columbine High School. Much of the resultant research includes the term "cycle of violence," which has become a shorthand way of acknowledging that a youngster who is a victim of physical abuse in the home is more likely to become a perpetrator.
Now, a research team led by Michael Brubacher of DePaul University has found a more subtle connection between inadequate parenting and adolescent bullying. In a paper just published in the journal Psychology, Public Policy and Law, the academics coin the term "cycle of dominance."
The phrase reflects their finding that, in transmitting bad behavior from one generation to the next, the issue isn't strictly the use of physical force. It's also a matter of whether the youngster grows up with a sense that conflicts can be resolved in a just, fair way.
In short, if a kid feels he's being punished arbitrarily at home, he is more likely to engage in arbitrary punishment on the streets or in the schoolyard.
Article (http://www.miller-mccune.com/news/how-to-turn-your-kid-into-a-bully-1494)
This is a perennially interesting topic - the old 'nature vs nurture' debate. At the very least, it is refreshing to see a study point to environmental conditions being significant rather than the 'genetic-biology' based arguments that have seemingly become so common.
A new study links bullying behavior by adolescents to the perception they are not treated fairly by their parents.
How are bullies born? The issue has been the subject of intense study, particularly in the decade since two students who had been bullied went on a violent rampage at Columbine High School. Much of the resultant research includes the term "cycle of violence," which has become a shorthand way of acknowledging that a youngster who is a victim of physical abuse in the home is more likely to become a perpetrator.
Now, a research team led by Michael Brubacher of DePaul University has found a more subtle connection between inadequate parenting and adolescent bullying. In a paper just published in the journal Psychology, Public Policy and Law, the academics coin the term "cycle of dominance."
The phrase reflects their finding that, in transmitting bad behavior from one generation to the next, the issue isn't strictly the use of physical force. It's also a matter of whether the youngster grows up with a sense that conflicts can be resolved in a just, fair way.
In short, if a kid feels he's being punished arbitrarily at home, he is more likely to engage in arbitrary punishment on the streets or in the schoolyard.
Article (http://www.miller-mccune.com/news/how-to-turn-your-kid-into-a-bully-1494)
This is a perennially interesting topic - the old 'nature vs nurture' debate. At the very least, it is refreshing to see a study point to environmental conditions being significant rather than the 'genetic-biology' based arguments that have seemingly become so common.