Bullying 'can be good for children': Study finds those who fight back are more popular and mature
By Daily Mail Reporter
23rd May 2010
It is considered one of the most traumatic experiences of growing up but being bullied can actually benefit children, a study has found.
Researchers claim that students who are not afraid to stand up for themselves can actually benefit from being picked on.
Those who reciprocate with hostility when subjected to bullying become more popular and widely admired among fellow classmates and teachers.
Such experiences can help students to develop healthy social and emotional skills, and can have a bigger impact on their development than friendly encounters.
In a study on 'mutual dislike' between 2003 students aged 11 and 12, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles compared those who stood up to aggressors with those who didn't.
According to the Sunday Times, the study found that those who reciprocated with hostility were the most mature.
Girls who fought back scored significantly higher on peers' and teachers' ratings of social competence and were more popular.
Boys who did the same tended to behave better in the classroom.
While the study did not suggest that it was healthy to be the victim of bullying or on hostile terms with classmates, it found negative experiences could teach children about conflict resolution.
It could also give them an early lesson that not everybody in life is going to like them, the researchers said.
Pyschologist Melissa Witkow, now at Willamette University in Oregon, said: 'The children who are not disliked by anybody are the most well-adjusted, not surprisingly.
'However, among kids who are disliked by a peer, our research suggests it may be [helpful] for some young adolescents to return that peer’s dislike than to either not be aware or to continue liking that peer.'
'You have several options, as I see it, when you become aware of someone else's antipathy.'
'You could be extra nice, and that might be good. But it could also be awkward or disappointing, and a waste of time.
'You could choose to ignore the person, or you can engage.'
The study backs up research from academic Helene Guldber, associate lecturer in child development at the Open University, who created controversy when she said teachers should not protect pupils from playground spats as they can help them handle difficult events in the future.
Dr Guldberg said official fretting 'over the supposedly terrible dangers of bullying in the playground could do more harm than good'.
It denied children 'the experiences they need to develop', such as being able to resolve their own disputes, as well as stunting their development and harming their social interaction with others.
But anti-bullying campaigners condemned her remarks, saying teachers need to be vigilant about the problem.
Celebrities including comedian Eddie Izzard have previously spoken about how fighting back against bullies helped define their childhood.
Izzard said he became a 'rock' after being subjected to bullying at the six boarding schools he attended as a child.
'No one was going to give me a hard time because I was going to give them a hard time. I was already built to resist any problems that would come up,' he said.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0okYDHbeE
BULLYING 'CAN BE GOOD FOR CHILDREN' !!!!!
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