Olweus, D., & Breivik, K. (2014).

Plight of victims of school bullying: The opposite of well-

being. Handbook of child well-being, 2593-2616.

The article utilizes data from several large-scale report surveys in Norwegian elementary and

lower secondary schools that estimate 14% of students to be directly involved in bullying either

as victims or bullies. The author cites evidence that personality characteristics, emotional

instability, and physical strength or weakness for boys to be leading causes of bullying. In

addition, environmental factors for instance the behavior of influential adults such as teachers

contributes significantly to the extent with which issues manifest in the school.

The authors Olweus who worked as a research professor of psychology at the University of

Bergen, Norway has been recognized as a pioneer in researching about bullying and Breivik, a

researcher at the Regional Center for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare in

Norway have the prerequisite background to contribute on the topic. The article gives an insight

on the role the behavior of adults within the school plays in causing or preventing bullying.

Schott, R. M. & Søndergaard D.M. (2014). The social concept of bullying: Philosophical

reflections on definitions. School bullying: New theories in context, 21-46.

According to (Schott & Søndergaard, 2014), the problems encountered by the youth are not

peripheral to society but rather a reflection of the issues concerning social life in general. The

author further argues that bullying should be viewed as a social phenomenon as opposed to the

individualistic way of considering the relation between the bullies and victims. Notably, shifting

the focus to the society does not overlook the significance of bullying for people who are part of
it, considering some are affected by it even as they grow into adults. This approach seeks to

determine how group processes generate social recognition that fundamentally groups

individuals into different social groups thus facilitating the occurrence of bullying.

The research by Schott, a senior researcher in the areas of peace and violence and Søndergaard, a

professor of social psychology makes the article a credible source for reference. Moreover, the

research is key to my topic since it sheds light on a whole new dimension that society can

facilitate the occurrence of bullying.

Ttofi, M. M., Farrington, D. P., Lösel, F., & Loeber, R. (2011). Do the victims of school bullies

tend to become depressed later in life? A systematic review and meta‐analysis of

longitudinal studies. Journal of aggression, conflict and peace research.

This article focuses on the scientific aspect of the effects that result from bullying. Since

individuals are more likely to be bullies or bullied in childhood, the impacts of the experience are

far reaching and last into adulthood as their social life tends to be strained. Citing longitudinal

studies that review the association of school bullying with later criminal offending, there is a

positive correlation. Even for the victims, the results seem to be undesirable from a recent

narrative review. However, there remains a research gap on the topic since a systematic review

on how bullying victimization leads to future health problems is yet to be done.

The leading author, Ttofi, is a University Associate Professor in Psychological

Criminology and she contributes extensive knowledge in relating the transition from bullying to
engaging in criminal offences. The study is a great input to my topic since it creates an

understanding of how bullying at school later affects society.

Sampson, R. (2016). Bullying in schools.

The author argues that bullying greatly undermines school safety despite being

underreported as a safety problem. Statistically, bullying is likely to occur within school

premises as compared to outside the school. Previously viewed as a norm for children and

adolescents to experience bullying, it has been determined to negatively impact both the bully

and the victim. There is a limited understanding of the magnitude of effects bullying can cause

because of the narrow perception confining it to elementary schools. In the United States, the

effects of bullying are becoming more evident especially with the admission by perpetrators of

mass school shootings that they were previously victims of bullying.

Sampson’s role as a national problem-oriented policing consultant working for the U.S.

Department of Justice makes this article an impelling reference since it was aimed at enhancing

development of policies to address bullying in schools. The article is a great contribution to my

topic since it uses factual data from the schools with the aim of informing policy makers.

Smith, P. K. (2016). Bullying: Definition, types, causes, consequences and intervention. Social

and Personality Psychology Compass, 10(9), 519-532.

The study seeks to explore various aspects leading to occurrence of bullying. Despite most

school going children stating that they do not like bullying, a significant minority actually

support would accept being part of it. Some of the attitudes are a result of a desire by bullies to

earn a status of dominance in the peer group. The leaders of the bullies may actually be elevated
when they have the support of other members, and if onlookers remain passive of their actions.

During adolescent years, there is a burning desire to have status within the peer group thus

individuals could be motivated to initiate bullying as a way of getting above in the pecking order

as well as support other bullies so that they might not become victims themselves. Further, the

article states that bullying can be regarded as an evolutionary adaptation, since the perpetrators

stand to gain some benefits, even if in the short term.

The author, Smith, is a Professor of Psychology thus he is better equipped with knowledge that

can assist other scholars to better grasp the mentality of individuals engaged in bullying.

Moreover, the article is instrumental to my topic because it informs on the behavioral aspect of

bullying.

Juvonen, J., & Graham, S. (2014). Bullying in schools: The power of bullies and the plight of

victims. Annual review of psychology, 65(1), 159-185.

The study identifies bullying as a pervasive phenomenon affecting students of any level of

learning. Through analysis of the recent research on perpetrators and victims of bullying, social

dominance, exaggerated self-views of bullies and the negative impacts it has on the victims are

among the issues this research explores. In discussing the predicament of the victim, the study

reviews the vicious cycle between the risk factors and effects of victimization and the factors that

can lead to emotional breakdown and associated health implications. This can be attributed to the
difficulty in carrying out the studies because of factors such as school transitions. However, this

does not indicate that the victims are not impacted by bullying in the long term.

As a professor of developmental psychology, Juvonen adds her expertise in exploring the topic

thus adding credibility to it. This article is important to my topic since it clearly draws the line

between victimization and perpetration and enhances a better understanding of two phenomena.

Lapidot-Lefler, N., & Dolev-Cohen, M. (2015). Comparing cyberbullying and school bullying

among school students: Prevalence, gender, and grade level differences. Social

psychology of education, 18(1), 1-16.

The research focuses on unearthing the change in dynamics of bullying in the wake of recent

technological developments. Some of the leading factors that predispose victims include body

anxiety, as the individual dwells in fear of hurting others or being hurt thus reluctant to engage in

physical activities such as sports. Low self-esteem may play part as well because the victims

think they deserve whatever treatment they are getting thus they do nothing about it.

Cyberbullying occurs through electronic devices and can range from verbal to indirect methods

such as spreading defaming rumors about the victim, cyberstalking and other acts that bar the

victim from actively participating in social life.

The authors Lapidot-Lefler has a Ph.D. in Counseling and Human Development and has served

as a scholar in his career while Dolev-Cohen, a counselling lecturer means they are

knowledgeable in the research area. Further, the study is significant to my topic because it

incorporates the critical issue of technology in understanding how it facilitates bullying.

Tsitsika, A. K., Barlou, E., Andrie, E., Dimitropoulou, C., Tzavela, E. C., Janikian, M., & Tsolia,

M. (2014). Bullying behaviors in children and adolescents:“an ongoing story”. Frontiers

in public health, 2, 7.

The study focuses on highlighting how bullying can be detrimental to students’ health and

psychological wellbeing. The most common effects associated to victimization are depression,

anxiety, and developing suicidal traits. Considering bullying manifests in specific settings, it is

vital to know the factors that enhance its occurrence. Apparently, bullying has been addressed as

a multifactorial issue that is a result of factors linked to the individual, the school, the family and

the community at large. For instance, the family can contribute to bullying by lack of parental

affection and incidences of domestic violence while the school can lead to bullying if its

overcrowded and lacks policies to address cases of bullying.

One of the leading authors, Tsitsika, is an Assistant Professor in Pediatrics and Adolescence

Medicine at the Athens University, Greece. The research is important to my topic since it is

based on medical literature in regard to the causes and effects of bullying.