Children Who Are Targets of Bullying

Abstract

The hypothesis that there is a constellation of qualities that predisposes certain children to be chronically victimized is supported by three forms of evidence. First, children who are victims have qualities in common that differentiate them from other children. Some of these qualities exist before the child is victimized; others develop because of the victimization. Second, children who are victimized early in life remain victims for a long period of time, even though the bullies and situations may differ. Third, other children are able to identify potential victims with high reliability. To clarify why these victims are chronically harassed, this article examines qualities of victims, bullies, and the environment that support bully/victim problems.