Bullying and the Act of Altruism

A real discussion asking: "what would you do?"

A few weeks ago the documentary film, Bully, was released in theaters across the United States.  This film takes an in-depth look at the reality of bullying and hazing in American schools today.  Bullying is real, it happens more often than we would like to acknowledge, to children and adults of all ages.  It emerges I'm many forms and across varied methods.  It has even taken lives.

In psychology we study at length the role of altruism and the bystander effect in our daily lives - who is altruistic and why?  Why are we more prone to being bystanders rather than up standers?  Why is it that some people are more willing to put themselves on the line in the interest of someone else's well-being?  What are the circumstances that put those people a cut above? Do they have a stronger moral core? Are they more self-confident? or is it simply that in our culture we see bullying and hazing as a rite of passage and not that big of a deal?

 

 

 

 

Simon, M. (n.d.). My bullied son's last day on Earth - CNN. Featured Articles from CNN. Retrieved April 15, 2012, from http://articles.cnn.com/2009-04-23/us/bullying.suicide_1_bullies-gay-tired?_s=PM:US