On the subject of bullying, psychologists and educators often focus on the individuals involved, i.e. the perpetrators and victims. Sociologists, also wanting to understand the issue plaguing many schools, ask the question: What about the environment that made the act of bullying possible?<\/p>\n
In The Sociology of Bullying: Power, Status, and Aggression Among Adolescents<\/em><\/a>, edited by Sociology Professor Christopher Donoghue<\/a>, the collection\u2019s contributors explore the different types of peer aggression, the social aspects of bullying and the broader community systems that surround bullies and their victims.<\/p>\n Here, Donoghue explains why bullying should be examined from a systemic bias perspective, how schools could improve anti-bullying policies and what bullying looks like today.<\/p>\n Sociologists and psychologists share a common purpose of wanting to reduce bullying inside and outside of schools, Donoghue says, but they have a different perspective on some of the ways of understanding what\u2019s happening among school-age children and how to deal with the problem.<\/p>\n \u201cPsychologists tend to focus a little more on the individual, and sociologists focus a little more on the environment or group level,\u201d Donoghue says. \u201cIt\u2019s important for schools to take a whole-school approach to bullying, and that means we focus not only on the bully, the victim and the bystanders, but also the full school community: the teachers, the administrators, the parents, the local community. Sociologists perhaps spend a bit more time thinking about the group level and things like systemic bias and school culture.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what you may not know about how bullying presents in today\u2019s schools, according to Donoghue and other sociologists:<\/p>\n Donoghue says sociologists are often interested in the way culture evolves in the school, looking specifically at systemic biases that operate on a group level. \u201cYou think about bias in terms of race, gender, but it\u2019s also important to think about the ways schools can be heteronormative spaces in which traditional gender roles and sexual preferences are favored,\u201d Donoghue says.<\/p>\n \u201cThat can often lead to a perception of a hostile environment for kids that don\u2019t fit that norm, and the same can be said for kids with disabilities. They may feel they\u2019re in an environment where their skills are less favored or less recognized.\u201d<\/p>\n Donoghue says that many anti-bullying policies in place today are designed in such a way that fit aforementioned bullying stereotypes, and, especially when such policies are harsh or severe, it can lead to a culture of underreporting among kids.<\/p>\n \u201cMost states have a clear definition of what bullying is and by virtue of what a policy or law is supposed to do, it\u2019s going to define behavior that is tangible,\u201d Donoghue says. But in fact, kids who feel confined by a rule or policy will \u201cadjust their behavior so their acts are not defined as bullying by the school policy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we should be doing is spending a lot of time talking to children about how to identify [bullying] and letting them know there’s an environment in which they can speak up and describe what they\u2019re experiencing,\u201d Donoghue says. One recommendation to improve anti-bullying policies in schools would be to have a constant, open channel for children, teachers, parents and school administrators to describe their experiences. \u201cYou can get that through interviews in schools or small group meetings that are less threatening than an obligatory annual anti-bullying meeting or public address that is not always a comfortable environment. Opening venues for people to just talk when there isn\u2019t necessarily an incident or crisis at the school can be really important for learning more about what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n To set up an interview, contact the Media Relations team<\/a>.<\/p>\nWhat is the difference between the sociology and the psychology of bullying?<\/h2>\n
What are common misconceptions about what bullying looks like today?<\/h2>\n
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How does traditional school culture impact bullying?<\/h2>\n
How can anti-bullying policies in schools be more effective?<\/h2>\n