Psychology
Biological Explanations for Bullying
Biological explanations for bullying suggest that genetic, neurological, and hormonal factors may contribute to aggressive behavior. Research has shown that certain genetic variations and imbalances in neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine, may be linked to an increased likelihood of engaging in bullying. Additionally, differences in brain structure and function, as well as hormonal influences, have been implicated in aggressive behaviors.
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4 Key excerpts on "Biological Explanations for Bullying"
eBook - PDFCyber Bullying
Protecting Kids and Adults from Online Bullies
- Samuel C. McQuade III, James P. Colt, Nancy Meyer(Authors)
- 2009(Publication Date)
- Praeger(Publisher)
Taken together these theories claim that deviant, socially abusive, and criminal behaviors are influenced by things in society rather than by simple choices individuals make to commit crime in response to biological or psychological factors, or as the result of political beliefs and conflict. Most criminologists now also look to so-called integrated theories Characteristics and Causes of Bullying Among Individuals and Groups 47 that combine all other major theoretical explanations of crime and crime vic- timization, and that draw from theoretical explanations of human behaviors. As a result of theories of crime and why people behave as they do, we have come to understand that many factors, in addition to those indicated previ- ously, can contribute to the onset and continuation of bullying or being the target of bullying. For example innate personality traits or inborn tempera- ments may be factors in bullying or bullying victimization. Influences includ- ing those found within homes or that are familial, peer, school, community, and economically or culturally related should also be considered with respect to environmental settings. 33 Lack of family cohesion, family violence, com- munity violence, and inadequate parental supervision have also been shown to influence aggression and bullying. 34 Poor modeling of problem-solving skills, delinquent peers, and bystander behaviors also influence aggressive be- haviors, especially during adolescence. It is unknown whether individual or environmental factors also apply to cyber bullying, but it is reasonable to believe that they do. As we have said, cyber bullying is bullying but with a technological twist. We also know that bullying is sometimes caused by individual factors such as the need to show power over and dominate others by inflicting mental or physical injury.
eBook - PDFThe Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Bullying
A Comprehensive and International Review of Research and Intervention
- Peter K. Smith, James O'Higgins Norman, Peter K. Smith, James O'Higgins Norman(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Wiley-Blackwell(Publisher)
(2017). The neurobiology of peer victimization: Longitudinal links to health, genetic risk, and epigenetic mechanisms. In C. P. Bradshaw (Ed.), Handbook of bullying prevention: The life course perspective (pp. 35–47). Cary, NC: NASW Press. doi:10.1017/9781316847992.011 VanZomeren-Dohm, A. A., Pitula, C. E., Koss, K. J., Thomas, K., & Gunnar, M. R. (2015). FKBP5 moderation of depressive symptoms in peer victimized, post-institutionalized children. Psychoneuroendocrinology , 51 , 426–430. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.10.003 Williams, S. G., Turner-Henson, A., Davis, S., & Soistmann, H. C. (2017). Relationships among perceived stress, bullying, cortisol, and depressive symptoms in ninth-grade adolescents: A pilot study. Biological Research for Nursing , 19 (1), 65–70. doi:10.1177/1099800416656396 Witte, O. W., & Kossut, M. (2016). Impairment of brain plasticity by brain inflammation. Zeitschrift Für Psychologie , 224 (2), 133–138. doi:10.1027/2151-2604/a000247 Zhu, J., Lowen, S. B., Anderson, C. M., Ohashi, K., Khan, A., & Teicher, M. H. (2019). Association of prepubertal and postpubertal exposure to childhood maltreatment with adult amygdala function. JAMA Psychiatry , 76 (8), 843–853. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.0931 23 Personality Factors, Empathy, and Moral Disengagement in Bullying Robert Thornberg, Gianluca Gini, Tina Malti, & Emma Galarneau According to a social-ecological framework with its root in Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) seminal work, bullying is understood as a social phenomenon that is established and perpetuated over time as the result of the complex interplay between individual and contextual factors (Swearer & Espelage, 2011; Thornberg, 2015). Bullying is a complex phenomenon with multiple and interactive causal factors and multiple outcomes. Individual characteristics are a part of this process and interact with environmental con-texts to increase or decrease the risk of bullying.
eBook - PDFPsychology and Crime
2nd edition
- Aidan Sammons, David Putwain(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
In the 1990s there was a resurgence of interest in biological fac-tors and there is now widespread acknowledgement that theories of offending that do not incorporate them are necessarily incomplete. This chapter starts by review-ing evidence for some of the biological differences that have been found between offenders and non-offenders and outlining their putative role in criminal behaviour. There follows a discussion of where these differences may come from, focused on a selection of possible causes: genetics, environmental pollution, traumatic brain injury and adverse childhood experiences. chapter 3 Biologically oriented explanations of offending 23 Biological differences between offenders and non-offenders The biological view assumes that an individual’s behaviour is organised by his nervous system, particularly his brain, and criminal acts are a consequence of this. Biopsychology does not claim that there are specific brain areas or processes that cause people, for example, to burgle houses, file false tax returns or assault their spouses. Rather, an offender’s nervous system interacts with social and other envi-ronmental influences to give rise to tendencies to behave in particular ways (e.g. aggression) that become criminal acts when they violate the law. Biopsychological research has tended to focus on aggressive crime as it is relatively straightforward to identify (unlike, say, financial fraud), is a pressing social problem and has clear links to the large and well-researched body of biological knowledge about aggres-sion. This makes it an obvious target for researchers wishing to investigate biolog-ical influences on offending. Low heart rate One of the most consistent findings in the biopsychology of offenders is that they have a lower heart rate than non-offenders. The association is remarkably robust and is found in children, adolescents and adults and across different cultures (Port-noy & Farrington, 2015).
eBook - ePubPsychology and Crime
2nd edition
- Aidan Sammons, David Putwain(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
Chapter 5 ). In the 1990s there was a resurgence of interest in biological factors and there is now widespread acknowledgement that theories of offending that do not incorporate them are necessarily incomplete. This chapter starts by reviewing evidence for some of the biological differences that have been found between offenders and non-offenders and outlining their putative role in criminal behaviour. There follows a discussion of where these differences may come from, focused on a selection of possible causes: genetics, environmental pollution, traumatic brain injury and adverse childhood experiences.Biological differences between offenders and non-offenders
The biological view assumes that an individual’s behaviour is organised by his nervous system, particularly his brain, and criminal acts are a consequence of this. Biopsychology does not claim that there are specific brain areas or processes that cause people, for example, to burgle houses, file false tax returns or assault their spouses. Rather, an offender’s nervous system interacts with social and other environmental influences to give rise to tendencies to behave in particular ways (e.g. aggression) that become criminal acts when they violate the law. Biopsychological research has tended to focus on aggressive crime as it is relatively straightforward to identify (unlike, say, financial fraud), is a pressing social problem and has clear links to the large and well-researched body of biological knowledge about aggression. This makes it an obvious target for researchers wishing to investigate biological influences on offending.Low heart rate
One of the most consistent findings in the biopsychology of offenders is that they have a lower heart rate than non-offenders. The association is remarkably robust and is found in children, adolescents and adults and across different cultures (Portnoy & Farrington, 2015). Low heart rate (LHR) can predict aggression and conduct problems in children and violence in adults independently of other variables such as personality and family history (Farrington, 1997). What is not clear is why offenders have LHRs. One possibility is that LHR indicates a chronically low level of activity in the nervous system. The individual finds this uncomfortable and offending provides risk and excitement, thereby raising their arousal level to a more comfortable level (the sensation-seeking hypothesis). A second possibility is that LHR reflects a diminished capacity to experience fear. Since fear, intuitively at least, plays a part in stopping people from acting on their antisocial impulses then fearless people might be more prone to offending (the fearlessness
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