1. Philip C. Rodkin University of Illinois August 11, 2010

2.  Tragedy & Response  Olweus and the Stability of Aggression  The Olweus Definition of Bullying … an unequal power dynamic … an intentional action … a chronic condition  What does this mean, “unequal power”?

3.  The paradox of aggressive behavior is that it is simultaneously adaptive and maladaptive  Bullying is about social capital, not just physical power … being or becoming popular with your peers … being more popular than the children you harass … a relationship of control  Do social networks– at school, in the community, in cyberspace– help make aggression adaptive for the bully?

5. Children nominated as bullies tend to be seen as highly aggressive and more popular than the children they harass.

6.  Bullying can be distinguished as a relationship of dominance and control. Effective interventions should attend not only to the bully’s deficiencies but also to the peer social ecology.  Effective interventions should attend not only to the bully’s deficiencies but also to the peer social ecology.  We need to monitor and track students’ social relationships. Aggression is a contagion behavior that operates through social networks.  How are parents and educators guiding peer social ecologies? Who is accountable when one child is being abused by another? Teaching and modeling values and moral behavior.