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Abstract
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Bullying and cyberbullying are potent forms of violence repeatedly perpetrated by aggressors against victims. They are similar in many facets as both share the same psychological dynamics, comprise a dominion-submission model between the aggressors and the victims, and always present a spectator, even if virtual, to whom the bullies refer. Stereotypical ideas, violated rules, or any feature of a person or group can be the pretext for (cyber)bullying.
If bullying is a type of anti-social behavior that has been studied for decades, cyberbullying is a growing phenomenon. Due to the widespread use of new technologies and the internet, cyberbullying has become even more frequent, especially among young people, who are prone to mobile phone use (Lenhart, 2012; Görzig and Ólafsson, 2013; Shapka et al., 2018). In particular, the social isolation adopted to restrain the COVID-19 pandemic intensified certain elements related to digital sociability (e.g., hyperexposure, diluted public-private-intimate borders, self-spectacularisation) that created conditions exacerbating digital violence and cyberbullying (Hellsten et al., 2021; Martínez-Ferrer et al., 2021).
Cyberbullying victims with low self-esteem and loneliness suffer disorders such as depression, anxiety, suicide ideation, substance abuse, and poor engagement in prosocial behaviors, among others. The adverse impact on a person's wellbeing is significant (Schoeps et al., 2018), and parental attachment plays a crucial role as well (Canestrari et al., 2021). Evidence show that youth reporting low levels of satisfaction with family relationships, negative feelings about school, and lower acceptance levels by their peers were more likely to participate in bullying and cyberbullying (Martínez-Ferrer et al., 2019). This Research Topic aims to deepen one's awareness of the nature of bullying and cyberbullying, including the prevention tools and coping strategies implemented by the various individuals involved in the phenomenon (e.g., violence and aggression, exclusion and superiority, mockery). Psychology has attempted over time to give greater importance to the context according to holistic theories (e.g., social identity theory, social network analysis, correlates theory, personal reputation theory) (Emler and Reicher, 1995), as suggested by Bronfenbrenner's social ecology model. Throughout this general approach, the Research Topic brought together current perspectives on bullying and cyberbullying at various developmental stages, their causes and consequences on different life domains, new evaluation methods in future studies, and training programmes that combat this negative dynamic from a multidisciplinary perspective.
Language: en |