Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 6, 2025
15:01
Peering into the Dynamics of Social Interactions: Measuring Play Fighting in Rats
Published on: January 18, 2013
15.6K
Looking Beyond Assumptions to Understand Relationship Dynamics in Bullying
Faye Mishna1, Arija Birze1, Andrea Greenblatt1
1Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Frontiers in Psychology
|May 7, 2021
Summary
Understanding bullying requires examining how students, parents, and teachers view traditional and cyberbullying. Key assumptions about gender, bullying type, and physical harm obscure the complex relationship dynamics inherent in bullying behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Education
Background:
- Bullying, encompassing traditional and cyberbullying, is a complex phenomenon involving intricate relationships.
- Understanding perceptions of bullying among students, parents, and teachers is crucial for effective intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how students, parents, and teachers conceptualize traditional and cyberbullying.
- To analyze the role of perceived relationship dynamics in understanding bullying.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative data from a mixed-methods longitudinal study.
- Semi-structured interviews with Canadian students (grades 4, 7, 10), their parents, and teachers.
Main Results:
- Participants' understanding of bullying centered on whether it involved harmful relationship dynamics.
- Three key assumptions—gender, bullying type, and physical harm disconnect—obscured deeper relationship processes.
- These assumptions impacted the conceptualization of both traditional and cyberbullying.
Conclusions:
- Effective bullying assessment, education, and intervention must acknowledge inherent relationship dynamics.
- Strategies should be implemented across multiple relational levels and social systems.
- Addressing underlying assumptions is vital for a comprehensive approach to preventing and intervening in bullying.
Keywords:
adult perspectivescyberbullyinggenderphysical bullyingrelationship dynamicsstudent perspectivessystems ecological theorytraditional bullyingMore Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:04Bullying
8.6K
A modern form of aggression is bullying. As you learn in your study of child development, socializing and playing with other children is beneficial for children’s psychological development. However, as you may have experienced as a child, not all play behavior has positive outcomes. Some children are aggressive and want to play roughly. Other children are selfish and do not want to share toys. One form of negative social interactions among children that has become a national concern is...
8.6K
01:20Social Foundations of Self II: The Generalized Other
82
According to George Herbert Mead, as children progress beyond the game stage, they develop a more comprehensive understanding of societal rules and norms. This cognitive and social development enables them to internalize the expectations of the broader community, refining their ability to regulate behavior.Consistent participation in organized activities is crucial in helping children recognize that their actions are not isolated but contribute to a more significant, interconnected group...
82
01:29Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings
68
Other adult family members and siblings play a crucial role in shaping children’s social and emotional development. While parents or primary caregivers are often the central figures in early attachment and socialization, other adults in a child’s life, such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles, can significantly influence developmental outcomes. These influences depend on each adult’s personality and may help compensate when a primary caregiver is emotionally distant or...
68
01:47Aggression
29.0K
Humans engage in aggression when they seek to cause harm or pain to another person. Aggression takes two forms depending on one’s motives: hostile or instrumental. Hostile aggression is motivated by feelings of anger with intent to cause pain; a fight in a bar with a stranger is an example of hostile aggression. In contrast, instrumental aggression is motivated by achieving a goal and does not necessarily involve intent to cause pain (Berkowitz, 1993); a contract killer who murders for...
29.0K
00:56Attribution Theory
13.5K
Behavior is a product of both the situation (e.g., cultural influences, social roles, and the presence of bystanders) and of the person (e.g., personality characteristics). Subfields of psychology tend to focus on one influence or behavior over others. Situationism is the view that our behavior and actions are determined by our immediate environment and surroundings. In contrast, dispositionism holds that our behavior is determined by internal factors (Heider, 1958).
13.5K
01:27Relationship Growth
65
Interpersonal relationships progress through stages, beginning with awareness and moving toward mutuality, where emotional connections deepen. While many relationships remain at moderate levels of mutuality, deeper connections form through self-disclosure, trust, and interdependence.Self-DisclosureSelf-disclosure involves revealing personal information, starting with surface-level details and gradually progressing to more intimate content. As trust grows, individuals feel more comfortable...
65