Bullying is the use of force or threat to abuse an individual or intimidate them. Bullying is a behaviour that is often repeated and habitual. Bullying can happen anywhere: at school, at home, and even in the workplace. Bullies own different or combinations of behaviours, such as a need to control and dominate others, quick to anger, lack of empathy for others, feeling superior, and blaming others for their actions (Deacon, 2011). These behaviours make the bullies aggressive, making them use force to abuse others. Bullying occurs in different ways, such as physical bullying, sexual bullying, verbal bullying, cyberbullying, prejudicial bullying, and relational bullying. However, verbal bullying and cyberbullying are the main types of bullying that bullies use. According to Gordon (2019), physical bullying is common among children. This makes physical bullies stronger, bigger, and more aggressive than their peers. Children bullies are more likely to use physical bullying acts such as kicking, slapping, hitting, and punching toward their victims. This paper focuses on bullying behaviour from different theoretical perspectives.

Biological Perspective on Bullying Behavior

Psychologists from biological theory are likely to interpret bullying as human nature, that is, something that human beings are born with, inherit, or develop naturally. People learn differences when they are young, and this likely leads to bullying; additionally, segregation comes naturally, and it is the ability to think that we are better than others that leads to bullying. Also, naturally, human beings believe that punishing others can give us pleasure, hence the reason why bullying exists. Human beings are wired in a way that they feel pleasure when someone else faces misfortunes, more so if the person does not belong to their group or they do not dislike them. Psychologists from biological theory are more likely to ask themselves questions such as, is bullying part of our human nature? Is bullying inherited or encoded in our genes? Or does punishing others give us pleasure? Exploratory research is the most likely type of research that psychologists from this theory will undertake to study bullying behaviour.

Social Perspective on Bullying Behavior

The social theory of psychology urges that human relations is a life aspect that people deal with daily, this makes people learn in different ways based on the behavior displayed. Psychologists from this theory explain bullying as a behaviour that is socially influenced through social interactions. According to Monroe (2014), psychologists argue that bullying is a behaviour that is triggered by a lack of particular wants, desires, or negative emotions. When people are unable to meet these needs, aggressive behaviour is developed, which leads to bullying. Aggressive behavior is developed during social interactions at an early age, especially when the behavior is rewarded as it becomes a routine. Psychologists in this type of theory will likely ask questions such as: how does social interaction influence bullying? Does rewarding bad behaviour among children make them bullies as they grow up? The research design psychologists can apply to study bullying is mixed research methods.

Cognitive Perspective on Bullying Behavior

The cognitive theory of psychology centers on the people’s thoughts as the determinant of their emotions and conducts hence their persona. Psychologists from cognitive theory interpret and explain bullying as a behaviour influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors that ultimately bring about learning in an individual (McLeod, 2013). Bullies learn new things easier which gets stored in their memory for a long time hence from the different bullying methods they know they apply them when necessary. Through memory, bullies learn and know the best way to act in a given situation. For example, bullies use different techniques to bully others; for example, they know when to use threats and force. Psychologists from this theory can ask questions such as the relationship between cognitive theory and bullying or how the cognitive process facilitates bullying. Researchers are likely to use qualitative and quantitative research methods to study bullying under cognitive theory.

Developmental Perspective on Bullying Behavior

Developmental psychology studies how people develop from birth to death; this includes physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development (Pepler et al., 2006). Developmental theory urges that as people develop, from childhood to adulthood, their behaviour determines whether they will become bullies. Also, how a child is nurtured increases or reduces the risk of becoming bullies. For example, a child who shows aggressive behavior or uses force to get what they want are more likely to become bullies when they advance in life. However, if such behaviors are put off earlier in life, the child is likely to understand that such behaviors are unacceptable and hence avoid them. The psychologists in this theory are likely to ask questions like, what is the relationship between development and bullying? And what can be done to stop bullying at an early age? The kind of research that can be undertaken to study bullying behaviour under developmental psychology is longitudinal research.

Behavioural Perspective on Bullying Behavior

Psychologists from the behavioral theory of psychology will interpret and explain bullying as a behavior caused by the environment, that is, what people learn from their environment. For instance, children who their parents bully are more likely to develop bullying behavior as they will incorporate what they have learned from their parents into their daily activities. Additionally, peers who may watch another peer bullying another as well as the victims of bullying will develop bullying behavior by learning them from their fellow peers. Psychologists of behavioral theory of psychology will always view bullying as a behavior that is learned and not inherited. The psychologists of behavioural theory will ask questions such as: why do people bully others? And how does the environment affect human behaviour? The qualitative research method is the most likely type of research that psychologists from this type of theory will use to study bullying behaviour.  

Evolutionary Psychology Perspective on Bullying Behavior

Psychologists from the evolutionary psychology theory are likely to interpret and explain bullying behavior as a behavior that the bullies develop to increase their survival ability. Psychologists from evolutionary theory urge that bullying behavior emerges from evolutionary development hence making the bullies gain better sexual opportunities as well as physical protection and at the same time promoting their mental health hence the reason why those individuals bully others (Koh & Wong, 2015). To study bullying behaviour, evolutionary psychologists are more likely to use both quantitative and qualitative research methods to collect data. The psychologists here are more likely to as themselves questions such as why would a person bully another and what benefits the bully gains from bullying others. 

References

Deacon, A. (2011). Bullying.  Applied Social Psychology. Retrieved fromhttp://www.personal.psu.edu/bfr3/blogs/applied_social_psychology/2011/10/bullying.html

Gordon, S. [2019]. The Different Types of Bullies Parents should watch for. Verywell Family. Retrieved from https://www.verywellfamily.com/types-of-bullying-parents-should-know-about-4153882

Koh, J. & Wong, J. [2015]. Survival of the Fittest and the Sexiest: Evolutionary Origins of Adolescent Bullying. Sage Journals. Accessed from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0886260515593546

McLeod, A. (2013). Psychology perspectives. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/perspective.html

Monroe, M. [2014]. The Social Psychology of Bullying. Retrieved from https://makaylaheisler.wordpress.com/2014/06/08/the-social-psychology-of-bullying/

Pepler D. et al. [2006]. A Developmental Perspective on Bullying. Aggressive Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.20136