Friends of your family are in need of help regarding their daughter. She is being verbally bullied on the bus on her way to and from school. Her parents come to you for help because they know you are in a child development class

Question

What would you tell her parents about bullying? They are very interested in why some children suffer the fate of being victims. They also want to know if there is anything they can do, or have their daughter do, to improve her relations with her peers.
What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A good answer will be similar to the following:
First, you would need to explain that some victims are actually aggressive themselves. These children tend to overreact, are restless, and are easily irritated. Their aggressive peers soon learn that these children are easily baited. These children tend to come from hostile, punitive, or even abusive family environments. You would also need to tell them that some victims tend to be withdrawn and submissive. These children tend to be unwilling or unable to defend themselves from their peers' aggression, and so they are usually referred to as passive victims. Passive victims who are girls tend to have mothers who are controlling and unresponsive; however passive victims who are boys tend to have mothers who are overprotective or emotionally overinvolved. Secondly, you would need to tell them to have their daughter turn to peers for support. They also need to teach her ways to deal with the victimization (e.g., don't lash out when you're insulted; don't show you're afraid when you're threatened). They need to help her increase her self-esteem and help her foster friendships with peers.