The Bystander
Who are bystanders?
Bystanders are “those who watch bullying happen or hear about it.”[3] There are several categories of bystanders, organised by the responses of the individual bystander to the act of bullying: aggressive, victim, avoidant, abdicating, and altruistic bystanders.[4]
The aggressive bystander
Also known as the bully bystander, the aggressive bystander reinforces and often contributes to the bullying. This type of bystander “instigates the bullying by prodding the bully to begin”, “encourage[s] the bullying by laughing, cheering, or making comments that further stimulate the bully” and/ or, “join[s] in the bullying once it has begun.”[5] This type of bystander is not just standing by, they are “offering positive feedback”[6] to the bully, “caus[ing] more distress to the targeted child.”[7]
The victim bystander
“Better you than me.”[8] Passively standing by, the victim bystander “might simply stand aside and keep silent while observing, [they are, however,] actually render[ing] silent consent and becom[ing] part of the victimizing process.”[9] These bystanders or “outsiders”[10] make up the “majority of peers,” who, for fear and “lack of skills,” apathetically stand by and do nothing to help the victim. These bystanders are generally so afraid of getting involved in the event that they themselves could become targets for the bully that they freeze up and “cannot function.” [11]
Some victim bystanders are afraid that they could exacerbate the situation by getting involved, or they simply lack the skills to know what to go to help the victim.[12] By remaining passive, this type of bystander “provide[s] the audience a bully craves and the silent acceptance that allows bullies to continue their hurtful behavior.”[13]
“Bullying has been found to be more frequent in schools where bystanders displayed behaviors that reinforce bullying, rather than engaging in behaviors that defend the victims, and … bystanders more often act in ways that do not support victims.” [1]
As teachers, it is our responsibility to arm our students with tools and strategies that will enable them to confidently support and help victims of bullying. To do this it is important to have a clear understanding of who bystanders are, why they are behaving the way they do, and what they need in order to become “defenders” instead of “reinforcers” or “outsiders”.[2]