NCJ Number
167608
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 12 Issue: 4 Dated: (August 1997) Pages: 483-493
Date Published
1997
Length
11 pages
Annotation
To clarify why victims are chronically harassed, this article examines qualities of victims, bullies, and the environment that support bully/victim problems.
Abstract
The research suggests that there may be a victim pattern of characteristics and behaviors. Children who are victims have certain attributes in common that differentiate them from other children. Among the most important of these are the personality characteristics of being anxious and insecure, which may signal to others that they are easy targets. Other common features of victims include having an insecure attachment pattern, being withdrawn, and behaving passively and submissively, even when it is inappropriate to do so. For the most part, physical features do not reliably differentiate victims from nonvictims, with the exception that male victims are often smaller and weaker than male nonvictims. Apparently, children who are victims generally remain victims throughout childhood and early adolescence, even when they switch classes and interact with new peers. Also, the existence of a victim pattern is supported by the fact that victims are identifiable by others. This article profiles bullies in terms of their background and physical characteristics, personality and intellectual characteristics, social-cognitive skills and behavior patterns, and home environment. Some intervention techniques that have been used to help bullying victims are briefly reviewed. 30 references