Kohlberg's Theory Of Bullying Essay

In every culture, the basic underlying principal is socialization; which establishes what behaviors, emotions, and actions are acceptable in society. This principal focuses on the development of morality, which correlates to children and adolescents who are excessively aggressive. The most prominent display of aggression is found in the form bullying. Bullying is a method of forceful conduct in which someone purposely and repetitively causes another person injury. Bullying takes on many forms, such as physical, verbal, emotional, and cyber-bullying. This essay will examine the theories associated with bullying and what can be done to prevent bullying from taking place in the school system. Recently, the detrimental effects of bullying in schools have been considered …show more content…
Research professionals focus on the characteristics of bullying, all which begin with morality. From the moment children are born, parents and caregivers stress what is wrong and what is right in society. Three components of morality include cognition, behavior, and emotion (Parke, Gauvain, 2009). Kohlberg’s theory greatly influenced the way moral development has impacted the rate of bullying. During development, cognition allows children to identify forms of aggression—proactive and reactive (Berk, 2012). These forms involve children to act and behave to fulfill a need (proactive) or as a defense mechanism (reactive). The lessons that are learned stem from moral development, and as noted by Kohlberg evolve to establish moral behavior. This theory is an important aspect when facing the devastating affects of bullying. The ultimate goal for teaching children life lessons at such a young age is to guide them in developing self-regulation, which is the ability for a child to control their own behavior, without the coercion from their peers (Parke, Gauvain,