Bullying, the Use of Violence in School Context: Reflections about a Social Symptom

Abstract

The goal of this study was to understand and highlight the key elements of bullying phenomenon. By proposing the investigation in a school environment, we tried to understand the participation of two types of institutional actors (directors and professors) in cases of bullying, pointing to possibilities of prevention that the institution could undertake to deal with the phenomenon. The realization of the study involved different steps: literature review, participant observations and semi‑structured interviews with teachers, vice‑director and educational supervisor. An asymmetrical power struggle in the professor‑student relationship emerged with a scenario which promoted the development of models of bullying and violence. The considerations pointed to the importance of going deep into the discussions about the concept of bullying, questioning the victim‑ofender bias, and expanding the framework of analysis with the understanding that the links established in the school, especially those between teacher and student, are crucial to the spread of the phenomenon.