Why Do Bullies Bully?

It's the first month of school, and Billy, a seventh grader, has found himself in the principal's office already. One of his classmates tattled on him for repeatedly hitting a girl on top of the head with his math book. He is going to get that boy after this, he thought to himself.  The principal walks into the office.  He has learned about Six Sigma for public health and schools.  He has decided to try the "Five Why's" method for finding the root of the problem with Billy.  The principal starts his questioning. "Billy, why did you hit the girl over the head with your math book?"
Billy laughed and said, "Because it was funny." 
The principal is at his second why. "Billy, why did you think it was funny?"
Billy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know.  Probably because she screamed." 
The principal was getting hopeful this method might work. "Billy, why did she scream?"
Billy looked puzzled. "She screamed because I hit her with my math book." 
The principal was to his fourth why. He hoped he would get to the answer soon. "Billy, why did you keep hitting her with the math book even though she screamed." 
Billy smiled, "Because other people thought it was funny, too."

Photo by Dalia098

The principal was at his final why, and he felt frustated. "Billy, why do you think other people thought it was funny that you hit her with the math book?" 
Billy told the principal, "Because she screamed."
The principal thought to himself that this line of questioning was going nowhere.  He decided to change his approach. "Billy, why do you think people scream?"
Billy thought about it for a second.  "They scream because they see a mouse or something or something is scary."
"Okay, Billy, why do people scream when they see a mouse or something scary?"
Billy rolled his eyes at the question. "Because they are dumb and think a little mouse is going to hurt them.  They are chickens." 
"Billy, why do you think the girl screamed?" 
Billy wanted this to be over, so he guessed. "She was scared."
"Yes, Billy, she was scared. Why do you think she was scared?"
Billy look surprised. "I guess she was scared because she was worried I was going to hit her with my math book again." 
"Billy, why do you think she was scared you were going to hit her with your math book again?"
Billy started to look sad.  "She was scared because other kids were laughing at her, and it probably hurt her when I hit her with my math book." 

From the above scenario, several things were learned about Billy and the girl.  First, Billy was a bully, and he bullied a girl. Billy thought that bullying the girl was funny, and that was the reason he kept doing it. His behavior was reinforced by classmates and by the girl's pain and discomfort.  In fact, Billy stated the more she screamed, the more he hit her.  In the end, Billy was able to acknowledge that the girl was frightened, embarrassed, and hurt.  What was not clear in the above scenario is why did Billy hit her with the math book in the first place? As with many anti-bullying programs and methods, the questions still remains...why did the bully bully?

In order to understand bullies, understanding "what is the root of the root, what is the bud of the bud," as written by E.E.Cummings, is necessary.  As the American Pyschological Association has indicated, the described root causes are complex, diverse, and wide ranging.  Bullying behavior has been claimed to be a result of parenting, bullying modeled by parents or other adults, a desire to exert dominance over a weaker person (Social Darwinism), or a need for attention.  A study of 2,000 sixth graders in the Los Angeles area suggested that "popular" kids were more likely to be bullies than "unpopular" kids.  The reasoning does not hold because not all bullies are popular.  Not all bullied victims are unpopular. The studies suggests that bullies have greater social aptitude, while bully victims are more socially inept.  However, bullying is considered a socially unacceptable behavior. Also, questions arise...which came first, the bullying or the supposed popularity? Research presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics of 64,000 children suggested that kids who bully are three times more likely to have mental health disorders. Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder were six times more likely to bully others, while those with depression were three times more likely to bully others.

In order to truly address bullying at schools and throughout the lifetime, addressing the mental health and other issues faced by bullies is necessary.  Ending bullying starts with the bully.  The causes, reasons, influences, and reinforcements that create a bullying environment should be addressed. Furthermore, additional research should be conducted to truly examine what causes bullies to bully, rather than making assumptions or conjecture.  School, work, and community anti-bullying programs then should make plans and room to address mental health or other needs of bullies.  Focusing responses on victims addresses the needs of the victims, perhaps one at a time.  However, one bully could impact many individuals.  Stopping bullying at the bully may address that individual's needs while also reducing further victimization.

Sources:
R.L. Cowan. "It Rolls Downhill" and Other Attributions for Why Adult Bullying Happens in Organizations from the Human Resources Professional's Perspective. Qualitative Research Report in Communication.  Found online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17459435.2013.835347
StopBullying.gov. What Roles Do Kids Play in Bullying. Found online at https://www.stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/roles-kids-play/index.html.
StompOutBullying.org. Understanding How and Why A Bully Uses Aggressive Behavior is Key to Knowing How to Handle the Situation. Found online at: http://stompoutbullying.org/index.php/information-and-resources/parents-page/understanding-why-kids-bully/
UCLA.edu. Psychologist's Studies Make Sense of Bullying. Found online at: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/bullying-jaana-juvonen-233108
S. Hymel and S. Swearer. Four Decades of Research on School Bullying. An Introduction. American Psychologist. May-June 2015. Found online at: http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-a0038928.pdf.
P.C. Rodkin, D.L. Espelage, L.D. Hanish. A Relational Framework for Understanding Bullying: Development Antecedent and Outcomes. American Psychologist. May-June 2015. Found online at: http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-a0038658.pdf
American Academy of Pediatrics. Children with Mental Health Disorders More Often Identified as Bullies. Found online at: https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/Children-with-Mental-Health-Disorders-More-Often-Identified-as-Bullies.aspx