Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Medha Talpade

Abstract

School-age bullying is a social problem negatively affecting more than 11% of the student body in the United States alone. The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of the lived experiences of bystanders, who witness a bullying event but do not intervene, and upstanders, who witness the event and intervene on behalf of the victim. To answer to the research question addressing the purpose of this qualitative study, 10 individuals between the ages of 18–20 years old who self-identified as both a bystander and an upstander during a bullying episode were interviewed using the lens of Darley and Latane’s model of bystander intervention. Interviews were transcribed and loaded into MAXQDA for axial coding. Findings of this study lend an enhanced understanding of the complex combinations of personal traits and emotions felt by bystanders during a bullying episode that facilitate helping behavior, offering additional insights into the model of bystander intervention. As bystanders, participants experienced sympathy for the victim but also felt fear for their own safety that prevented them from intervening. When describing the moments when they intervened on behalf of the victim, they described feelings of empathy, moving past sympathy, and an intense anger toward the bully and/or the event itself, facilitating intervention. Armed with the additional information from the findings of this study, psychologists and practitioners may have a better chance to create impactful intervention strategies meant to decrease and diminish bullying, thus initiating positive social change for the victims of bullying, a vulnerable population.

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