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From: shl@ais.org (Stephen Landman)
Newsgroups: sci.psychology,sci.bio,alt.romance,soc.men,soc.singles
Subject: A country focuses on bullying in schools
Message-ID: <ZP2_-L@irie.ais.org>
Date: 2 Dec 90 09:02:23 GMT
References: <1990Nov24.233954.8869@watcsc.waterloo.edu> <1990Nov29.174040.9382@watserv1.waterloo.edu> <3066@igloo.scum.com>
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 At the 16th annual Vermont Conference on the Primary Prevention of
 Psychopathology, which focused on improving children's lives,
 psychologist Dan Olweus of Sweden who teaches at the University
 of Bergen in Norway, reported on how bullying in schools has been
 cut more than 50% since 1983.  Efforts to reduce bullying in Norwegian
 schools were attempted after three children committed suicide in 1982
 after being severely bullied.  Children who were bullies and children
 who were bullied were studied, and methods were developed to counter-
 act tendencies to bully.

 Boys were found to engage in three times as much bullying as girls.
 Research found that the popular belief that bullies have underlying
 insecurity and anxiety is NOT true.  In fact, bullies have a low level
 of anxiety.  The typical bully has "an aggressive personality pattern"
 combined, at least in boys, with physical strength.  The factors which
 were found to help create an aggressive personality problem were
 found to be: negative emotional attitudes of the primary caretaker
 characterized by lack of warmth; permissiveness by the primary
 caretaker for the child's aggressive behavior; use of "power-
 assertive child rearing methods" such as physical punishment;
 and the child's temperament.

 80% of the kids who were bullied "seem to signal to others that they
 are insecure and worthless individuals who will not retaliate if
 attacked."  Younger and weaker children were bullied more than
 older and stronger kids.  It was not found to be true that kids
 who were bullied did anything to provoke the bully.

 The national campaign to reduce bullying consisted of:
 *  A booklet for teachers telling what is known about bullying
    and what can be done to counteract it.
 *  A folder distributed by schools to all families of students.
 *  A 25 minute videocassette showing episodes from the lives of
    two bullied children.
 *  Teachers were encouraged to assume responsibility for what
    goes on among children at school, including providing adequate
    supervision at recess.
 *  Teachers to intervene in bullying situations and to give a
    clear message that "Bullying is not acceptable at school."
 *  Teachers are advised to initiate serious talks with victims
    and bullies and their parents.
 *  Classroom discussions of bullying behavior.
 *  Teachers to apply consistent use of sanctions - some form of
    non-hostile, non-corporal punishment - for bullying.
 *  Teachers to provide generous praise for avoidance of bullying.
 *  Teachers to aid victims in asserting themselves in class to
    increase other children's respect and affection for them.
 *  Parents of victims to help their children develop new friends.

 Follow up research found substantial reductions in bullying were
 larger two years after the campaign began than after the first
 years, and that student anti-social behavior such as theft,
 vandalism, and truancy declined, and students expressed more
 satisfaction with school.


-- 
Stephen H. Landman (Steve)
                       Internet:   shl@ais.org


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