Bystanders in bullying: Introduction to the special issue

Bullying is a problem in most, if not all, contemporary schools around the world and is associated with socioemotional, academic, and physical difficulties for not only the victims of bullying, but also the youth who engage in bullying (Beran et al., 2008; Hawker & Boulton, 2000) and bystanders (Janosz et al., 2008; Juvonen et al., 2003). As the actions of bystanders contribute to the deterrence or maintenance of bullying (Salmivalli, 2010), it is critical to understand those factors that lead bystanders' to either protect the victim or facilitate the bullying. To this end, the articles in this special issue provide novel insights into bystanders of bullying, building upon emerging themes in the literature. This introduction summarizes the contributions of each article, focusing on three themes: (a) the process-oriented nature of the decision to defend victims or reinforce the aggressors, (b) the need to differentiate qualitatively different forms of defending, and (c) the role of classroom and societal norms in bystanders' behaviors. This introduction concludes with a call for a next generation of studies that integrates the lines of research presented in this special issue.