Beware of the In Crowd
Aug. 13, 2000
By MICHELE ORECKLIN
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,52529,00.html
It's possible that all these years we've been blaming the wrong kids for
stealing our milk money. The image of the schoolyard bully as a
disaffected social outcast or a hulking denizen of shop class is a familiar
one and a staple of teenage lore. But as researchers and teachers grow
increasingly sensitive to the issue of school violence, they are studying
bullying more closely and finding that the stereotypes are often misleading.
In fact, bullies are likely to be among the most popular kids in school,
admired by peers and teachers alike, according to a report presented last
week at a meeting of the American Psychological Association (A.P.A.).
"These are the kids that other students look up to, the ones everybody
wants to hang out with," says Dorothy Espelage, an assistant professor at
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who co-authored the study.
It defines bullying as persistent teasing, name calling or social exclusion;
Espelage did not include overt physical acts, since she found they were
rare and typically used by students with more serious problems.
Espelage focused on students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grade,
when the problem is most acute. "As kids transition into middle school, they
are negotiating new settings, establishing power within peer groups," she
says. In this confusing period, denigration of others often proves a
successful route to prominence. In boys this generally manifests itself
through taunting or threats of violence, while girls are more apt to spread
rumors or inflict social ostracism. The study shows bullying tapering off as
kids advance into the eighth grade.
William Pollack, a psychologist who examines bullying in his book Real
Boys' Voices, agrees that intimidation is too often rewarded. "Aggression,
homophobia and violent behavior are looked up to in boys," he says.
"Being artistic or musical is not." He cautions, however, that not all child
bullies are the cool kids--some are among the most depressed students in
a class and may be reacting to being bullied themselves. Pollack is also
worried that the phenomenon is on the rise, partly because families spend
less time together, which leaves boys fewer outlets for productive
communication. "It's a national epidemic," he says. "Both the amount of
teasing and the intensity of it have increased over time, and the stakes are
higher. We're talking AK-47s now, not just a shove." While Espelage
acknowledges that it is difficult to know whether bullying is growing more
common, she says that recognition of its consequences is certainly on the
rise. Both agree that while bullying has been around since the one-room
schoolhouse, it should no longer be dismissed as a mere adolescent rite of
passage.
An estimated 160,000 children each day miss school for fear of being
picked on, according to the National Association of School Psychologists.
Typically, these students are different in dress or appearance or seem
unlikely to defend themselves. In addition to academic failings, they suffer
such physical ailments as stomachaches and headaches as well as
psychological troubles that in extreme cases include suicidal tendencies.
Though bullies commonly have high self-esteem, they tend to be victims of
psychic damage as well. Most come from homes in which discipline is
administered inconsistently or through physical means. They often fail to
learn effective methods of problem solving, and by some estimates 1 in 4
chronic bullies will have a criminal record by age 30.
Awareness of the dangers is spurring school systems across the U.S. to
implement antibullying programs, which have proved effective in other
countries. In Massachusetts, the Executive Office of Public Safety has set
aside $1 million in federal money to help schools identify potential bullies
and aid their victims. Beginning this fall, teachers statewide will use a
curriculum created at Wellesley College that tackles bullying as early as
kindergarten. Administrators at Liberty Middle School in Ashland, Va.,
started a similar program last year. Each week teachers meet with a group
of 14 students and perform activities designed to promote interpersonal
skills. Administrators have also created zero-tolerance disciplinary
guidelines.
A major objective of these efforts is to encourage bystanders to speak out.
"If you target one kid, you're missing the point," says Espelage. "So much
enabling is given by bystanders who remain passive." Espelage also
suggests eliciting the support of peer-group leaders. "If they take a stand,"
she says, "the rest will fall in behind. They have leadership skills that could
be rechanneled." Evidence of this comes from another study presented at
the A.P.A. conference last week, which found, perhaps not surprisingly,
that some of our best Presidents, including F.D.R., were not above
"bullying and manipulating" if necessary.
With reporting by Rebecca Winters
Aug. 13, 2000
By MICHELE ORECKLIN
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,52529,00.html
It's possible that all these years we've been blaming the wrong kids for
stealing our milk money. The image of the schoolyard bully as a
disaffected social outcast or a hulking denizen of shop class is a familiar
one and a staple of teenage lore. But as researchers and teachers grow
increasingly sensitive to the issue of school violence, they are studying
bullying more closely and finding that the stereotypes are often misleading.
In fact, bullies are likely to be among the most popular kids in school,
admired by peers and teachers alike, according to a report presented last
week at a meeting of the American Psychological Association (A.P.A.).
"These are the kids that other students look up to, the ones everybody
wants to hang out with," says Dorothy Espelage, an assistant professor at
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who co-authored the study.
It defines bullying as persistent teasing, name calling or social exclusion;
Espelage did not include overt physical acts, since she found they were
rare and typically used by students with more serious problems.
Espelage focused on students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grade,
when the problem is most acute. "As kids transition into middle school, they
are negotiating new settings, establishing power within peer groups," she
says. In this confusing period, denigration of others often proves a
successful route to prominence. In boys this generally manifests itself
through taunting or threats of violence, while girls are more apt to spread
rumors or inflict social ostracism. The study shows bullying tapering off as
kids advance into the eighth grade.
William Pollack, a psychologist who examines bullying in his book Real
Boys' Voices, agrees that intimidation is too often rewarded. "Aggression,
homophobia and violent behavior are looked up to in boys," he says.
"Being artistic or musical is not." He cautions, however, that not all child
bullies are the cool kids--some are among the most depressed students in
a class and may be reacting to being bullied themselves. Pollack is also
worried that the phenomenon is on the rise, partly because families spend
less time together, which leaves boys fewer outlets for productive
communication. "It's a national epidemic," he says. "Both the amount of
teasing and the intensity of it have increased over time, and the stakes are
higher. We're talking AK-47s now, not just a shove." While Espelage
acknowledges that it is difficult to know whether bullying is growing more
common, she says that recognition of its consequences is certainly on the
rise. Both agree that while bullying has been around since the one-room
schoolhouse, it should no longer be dismissed as a mere adolescent rite of
passage.
An estimated 160,000 children each day miss school for fear of being
picked on, according to the National Association of School Psychologists.
Typically, these students are different in dress or appearance or seem
unlikely to defend themselves. In addition to academic failings, they suffer
such physical ailments as stomachaches and headaches as well as
psychological troubles that in extreme cases include suicidal tendencies.
Though bullies commonly have high self-esteem, they tend to be victims of
psychic damage as well. Most come from homes in which discipline is
administered inconsistently or through physical means. They often fail to
learn effective methods of problem solving, and by some estimates 1 in 4
chronic bullies will have a criminal record by age 30.
Awareness of the dangers is spurring school systems across the U.S. to
implement antibullying programs, which have proved effective in other
countries. In Massachusetts, the Executive Office of Public Safety has set
aside $1 million in federal money to help schools identify potential bullies
and aid their victims. Beginning this fall, teachers statewide will use a
curriculum created at Wellesley College that tackles bullying as early as
kindergarten. Administrators at Liberty Middle School in Ashland, Va.,
started a similar program last year. Each week teachers meet with a group
of 14 students and perform activities designed to promote interpersonal
skills. Administrators have also created zero-tolerance disciplinary
guidelines.
A major objective of these efforts is to encourage bystanders to speak out.
"If you target one kid, you're missing the point," says Espelage. "So much
enabling is given by bystanders who remain passive." Espelage also
suggests eliciting the support of peer-group leaders. "If they take a stand,"
she says, "the rest will fall in behind. They have leadership skills that could
be rechanneled." Evidence of this comes from another study presented at
the A.P.A. conference last week, which found, perhaps not surprisingly,
that some of our best Presidents, including F.D.R., were not above
"bullying and manipulating" if necessary.
With reporting by Rebecca Winters
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| Bullies are likely to be popular |
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