Individual and class moral disengagement in bullying among elementary school children.
A cross-sectional study from a sample of 663 elementary school children assessed the four sets of moral disengagement mechanisms conceptualized by Bandura (i.e., cognitive restructuring, minimizing one's agentive role, disregarding/distorting the consequences, blaming/dehumanizing the victim) at both the individual and the class level. Additionally, an analysis of the relations of these mechanisms to pro-bullying behavior was conducted. Multilevel analysis showed a significant relationship between cognitive restructuring and individual pro-bullying behavior. Moreover, between-class variability of pro-bullying behavior was positively related to minimizing one's agentive role and blaming/dehumanizing the victim at the class level. Conversely, class disregarding/distorting the consequences was negatively associated with between-class variation in the outcome behavior. Implications for understanding the role of morality in children's bullying are discussed.
Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padua, Padova, Italy. tiziana.pozzoli@unipd.it
Tiziana
T
Pozzoli
Gianluca
G
Gini
Alessio
A
Vieno
D058445:Bullying / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D032981:Dehumanization; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009014:Morals; D010379:Peer Group; D012574:Schools / Q000458:organization & administration; D012919:Social Behavior; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires