B. F. Skinner's Psychodynamic Approach To Bullying

particularly unjust, as he/she is merely struggling to find his/her potential in life. The psychologist can also determine the crux of the problem by examining whether or not certain defence mechanisms are being employed with respect to cultural, societal, and personal aspects; both displacement and projection are common mechanisms among bullies, as these individuals have a tendency to displace their emotions onto someone else while contemporaneously attributing their aggressive behaviour onto others (Haskings-Winner et al. 60). Finally, archetypes, such as particular models of people and behaviours, can influence the actions of bullying vividly, as many ideas and instincts present within the unconscious mind are common to our ancestors and …show more content…
65). Firstly, depending on the type of punishment, some forms may be inhumane and just. For example, if the school contacts the bully’s parents, who are abusive to begin with, this can result even more harassment and violence. In the end, this will not resolve the problem of bullying, as the gulf between the parents and child will only be enlarged and the lack of love that may be influencing the bully’s behaviour may continue to persist. Jung’s approach does not involve these aspects, as it is preoccupied with helping the bully settle internal conflicts directly instead of estranging them from other people. Moreover, there are several repercussions of employing any form of punishment in the first place, which entail the following aspects: punished behaviour is merely suppressed, aggression and fear tend to increase, and punishment does not indicate what one should do in the first place (McLeod, 2015). In the case of punishing bullying, such as by suspension from school, this does not do a thing with respect to ending the negative behaviour. Depending on the bully and circumstances, the victim may no longer experience bullying from that moment and on; however, this approach neglects a sense of concern for the bully and the struggles that he/she may be going through. As a result, this negative behaviour is merely buttressed through suppression, as the bully is left to believe that his/her situation is immutable. The feelings of aggression and fright also require consideration, as the punishment may have even more detrimental effects on the individual than were originally intended. This may merely aggravate the problem of bullying, as the bully may become more susceptible to engaging in bullying behaviour in the first place (increased aggression) or the bully may become more