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Social cognition and bullying: Social inadequacy or skilled manipulation?
Author(s) -
Sutton J.,
Smith P. K.,
Swettenham J.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
british journal of developmental psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.062
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 2044-835X
pISSN - 0261-510X
DOI - 10.1348/026151099165384
Subject(s) - psychology , social cognition , cognition , set (abstract data type) , developmental psychology , stereotype (uml) , intervention (counseling) , social skills , poison control , social psychology , cognitive psychology , medicine , environmental health , neuroscience , psychiatry , computer science , programming language
In contrast to the popular stereotype and research tradition of the ‘oafish’ bully lacking in social skills and understanding, the bully may be a cold, manipulative expert in social situations, organizing gangs and using subtle, indirect methods. Performance on a set of stories designed to assess understanding of cognitions and emotions was investigated in 193 7‐10‐year‐olds in relation to role in bullying. Ringleader bullies scored higher than ‘follower’ bullies (those who helped or supported the bully), victims and defenders of the victim. Results are discussed in terms of the need for further research into cognitive skills and emotion understanding in children who bully, the possible developmental pathway of social cognition in bullying and important implications for intervention strategies.