Hostile social climbers

New research focusing on teenage aggression and bullying has concluded that many problems originate from an unexpected group.

Sociologists from the University of California surveyed 19 schools in North Carolina and found that students are quite likely to use bullying and aggressive behaviour as means of social climbing. Thus, popular children were much more likely to show signs of aggressive behaviour. The researchers concluded that children are likely treating aggression as a tool to gain or maintain social status. This conclusion is supported by their finding that aggression peaks among children who are just below the top in terms of popularity. They speculated that the most popular children in a social network have no need to advance their perceived level of popularity—and thus don’t resort to bullying behaviour as much as their slightly less-popular peers.

This study has confirmed something that most adolescents already know from first-hand experience. Bullying isn’t limited to threats and intimidation. Reputation is a valuable—and vulnerable—source of social capital.

Any teenager who has had their reputation tarnished by a peer knows that the perpetrator usually stands to gain status by doing so.

One might expect a typical bully to be anti-social and prone to acting out. It’s encouraging that a study like this opposes the stereotype of the maladjusted bully and provides teachers a new perspective on how aggressive behaviour works. However, it’s important to acknowledge the risks of treating one study as conclusive. While certain students may be more likely to engage in aggressive behaviour, any student can bully or be bullied.

Teachers should be prepared to look for instances of bullying on a case-by-case basis, and not get fooled into profiling certain students as instigators.

While the researchers suggest that any anti-bullying measures need to address the perception of bullying as a social tool, it’s hard to be sure how teachers can put this information directly into practice to combat bullying before it starts.

This is further complicated by other forms of bullying, like cyber-bullying, which often occurs outside the school environment—and creates another form of social stratification for students at all levels.

The social dynamics of a high school are instinctual to the students who function within them, but are often opaque to the instructors tasked with maintaining order and discipline.

Giving teachers another perspective to consider may help them recognize bullying behaviour as part of a developing trend, not a personality trait.

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