CHILDRENS THEORY OF MIND AND ADOLESCENT INVOLVEMENT

WITH BULLYING

A March 2011 report by the U.S. Department of Education noted that
school-based bullying behaviors tend to shift over time, with younger
students more prone to pushing and shoving and older students more likely
to engage in verbal and indirect types of bullying such as derogatory slurs
and gossip. However, the origins of bullying behaviors may start long
before a bully or victim is enrolled in school.
A 2011 study from Duke University and Kings College London published in
the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, A Prospective
Longitudinal Study of Childrens Theory of Mind and Adolescent
Involvement with Bullying, investigates the correlation between low theory
of mind (ToM) an individuals ability to interpret correctly the mental and
emotional states of others and bullying experiences. Researchers tested
1,116 sets of same-sex British twins at ages 5, 7 to 10, and 12 to assess
ToM and IQ levels; the study also included assessments from teachers,
questions gauging the female caretakers own ToM and mental health, and
data relating to gender and socioeconomic factors.
Study findings include:
Adolescent bullies, victims and bully-victims (individuals who both bully
others and have been bullied) all scored appreciably lower on the
ToM scale at age 5 than did the control group who had not
experienced any type of bullying.
Youth who had poor ToM in early childhood [age 5] were more likely to
become victims of bullying in early adolescence [age 12].
Children from homes lacking sufficient material or emotional supports
were the most likely to bully others by the time they reached early
adolescence: Being maltreated overrides the risk posed by having
poor ToM for becoming a bully.
A childs IQ score was not a determining factor in whether or not a child
would be bullied: There is something specific about childrens
inability to understand others mental states, as opposed to general
cognitive/intellectual difficulties, that place them at an increased risk
of being victimized.
The findings that bullies typically have poor ToM does not seem to
support the notion of bullies being skilled social manipulators. The
study did not distinguish ring leaders from followers, however,
leaving open the possibility that it is the followers who have lower
ToM and that the fewer leaders have higher such mental abilities.
The researchers theorize that the link between ToM and
bullying/victimization may rest on the following: First, poor
understanding of other peoples intentions and emotions may
jeopardize childrens ability to detect social cues that indicate
nonreciprocal interactions, thus placing them at risk of being
victimized or exploited. Second, poor ToM may increase the risk of
bullying victimization by affecting childrens ability to negotiate
conflicts or stand up for themselves, resulting in being viewed as
easy targets for threats and abuse. Third, according to the social
skills deficit model, children may be biased when they process social
cues and interpret ambiguous situations as being hostile. Children
may engage in bullying behaviors as a way of dealing with perceived
conflicts.
The researchers emphasize the need for intervention at younger ages:
Supporting children with poor ToM early on in their schooling years may
help improve their social interactions and reduce their vulnerability for later
involvement in bullying.
By Margaret Weigel | December 9, 2011
Link: http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/public-health/children-
theory-mind-adolescent-bullying#