Is Bullying Genetic? - East Idaho News
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Is Bullying Genetic?

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GETTY 73015 Bullying?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1438246942719Wavebreak Media/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Conventional wisdom has it that bullies are made, not born, but that might not be the case.

A new Canadian study finds bullying behavior could also be genetic, linked to a genetic trait that causes some people to seek social status and sexual attraction through aggressive acts, reports The National Post. If true, it would seem to contradict the notion that bullies are products of their own abuse, harassment or dysfunction.

Researchers at Simon Fraser University based their idea of a survey of students at a Vancouver high school, where they found bullies had the highest self-esteem and social rank, and were the least likely to be depressed.

“When you’re in high school, it’s a very limited arena in which you can establish your rank,” said Jennifer Wong, lead author and a professor of criminology, “and climbing the social ladder to be on top is one of the main ways…Bullying is a tool you can use to get there.”

The results of the study could drastically change how schools approach bullying. Wong says most anti-bullying programs are ineffective because they aim to change behavior of bullies. She instead recommends revamping bully programs to bring more competition into schools, in order to provide bullies a better means of managing their domineering ways.

Of course, not everyone agrees with that assessment. Rob Frenette, co-founder of the anti-bullying advocacy group Bullying Canada, says he has yet to meet a bully who doesn’t have deeper mental or emotional issues — a category of bullies called “bully-victims.”

“I don’t want parents who have a child who is considered a bully to think, ‘Well, it’s something they’re born with and there’s nothing we can do to adjust their behavior,’” says Frenette.

Wong admits there is more research to be done, but still recommends rethinking how bullying is dealt with, adding that mere punishment is usually ineffective, and sometimes even improves a bully’s social status.

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