Predictors of Bullying Involvement in Young Adolescents: The Role of Internalized and Externalized Anger, Emotional Intelligence and Narcissism
Year: 2017
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study was intended to identify unique social-emotional traits of participants involved in bullying. The participants were students in Grades 7 and 8 from five schools in Midwestern Ontario (N = 412). Measures of bullying, anger, emotional intelligence, and narcissism were administered to operationalize components of a hybrid socio-emotional model of school based bullying. Five distinct subgroups of bullies and targets were identified. These were: (1) Bullies, participants who were aggressors with a power advantage who repeatedly hurt, humiliated, or dominated peers; (2) Directly Aggressive Bullies, participants who were aggressors whose identity was known to the Target; (3) Indirectly Aggressive Bullies, participants who were aggressors whose identity was concealed from the Target; (4) Targets, participants who were recipients of repeated peer aggression for which they had limited ability to prevent; and (5) Bully-Targets, participants who met the study criteria for involvement both as Bullies and Targets. All other participants in the research were assigned to the Non-Involved Group. Boys in each of the grades and boys and girls in Grade 8 were more likely to be classified as Directly Aggressive Bullies and as Bully-Targets than Non-Involved students. Directly Aggressive Bullies were more likely to report high levels of externalized anger and to have difficulty managing their emotions. Classification as an Indirectly Aggressive Bully was predicted by higher levels of internalized anger. Lower levels of externalized anger and higher levels of internalized anger and extent of anger predicted classification as a Target. Bully-Targets also reported higher levels of externalized anger, internalized anger, and lower levels of narcissism than the Non-Involved group. These results suggest that anger management should be the central focus of interventions designed to reduce bullying. This focus is especially important for Bully-Targets who have high levels of both internalized and externalized anger. Other identified groups of students who are either directly aggressive bullies, indirectly aggressive bullies or targets may need specialized interventions to overcome their triggers for anger. The overall results of the study support an individualized approach, rather than a generalized approach, to intervene successfully in schools and the community to reduce bullying behaviour.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: John Claude Mattys
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2780880633