by Rebecca Palmer

Created on: February 17, 2007   Last Updated: May 15, 2007

Despite numerous attempts to intervene by scholastic administration and teachers, bullying occurs within every school regardless of culture or location. Approximately 10% of children are bullied in primary school, and the number of targets decreasing with age (Rigby & Slee, 1991). Defined as deliberate hostile activity intended to harm, induce fear and create terror through threat of further aggression, bullying creates a significant problem for their victims (Colorosso, 2005). Often the word "bully" is associated with an oafish demeanor or a lumbering boy (or girl) who lacks social skills. This association is not totally accurate; the bully possesses social skills that he uses to his advantage to manipulate others and is often rather popular (if for no other reason than to avoid being the next target) (Elliot, 2002). Through aggression, manipulation, and other forms of bullying, he uses his target to solidify his own place of dominance. Because others are present during 85% of bullying (Sutton et al., 1999), the target becomes a tool for vicarious learning for the on looking bystanders. He exists merely to reinforce the social infrastructure and be the bottom of the "pecking order" created by the bully's dominance. The aggression bullies use exists in different forms and yet serves the same purpose: to secure the bully's place at the top of the pecking order.

When a child is beaten and has his lunch money stolen, the bully utilizes direct physical aggression (Craig et al., 2000). This serves to display the bully's physical strength against those who are weaker and to teach others the consequences if they cross him. He chose this target exclusively because he is stronger and perhaps older or bigger; he knows that if the target attempted to fight back he would win. Counterattacking is a technique that is rarely used by targets, but it provides an easy victory for the bully (if he chose correctly) and a "good show" for the bystanders (Salmiralli, 1996). This show of physical power is necessary to establish the bully's place among other students as tough and ruthless. A physically aggressive bully sees little problem with using violence to ascertain his position among his peers, and even regards physical aggression as a positive quality (Elliot, 2002). Although more common among boys than girls, physical aggression has seen an increasing trend in female circles (Elliot, 2002). Generally, girls tend to use relational aggression to keep exclusive social cliques

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