Myth of the month: bullies want to climb the social ladder–because of alcoholic egomania, or a particularly abusive alcoholic parent. The studies look at the wrong thing; the “experts” don’t get it.
“Bullying is largely motivated by a desire to climb the social ladder.”
So reported a new study by the University of California at Davis on why bullies bully. As is all-too-common, this half-truth doesn’t get to the root of the problem.
One of the study’s authors, Robert E. Faris, an assistant sociology professor at UC, admitted there may be other factors, including trying to compensate for trouble at home, as many assume. However, he said “our study found that it was about social status, even more than demographics or socioeconomics.”
The question left unanswered is why do these kids, a small minority of children, need so desperately to climb the social ladder at the expense of others? And if there’s ...
