Rethinking What We Mean by Bias-Based Bullying: Applying the Social Identity Approach and Related Theories

Addressing school bullying is a matter of social justice, but prevention and intervention efforts worldwide have achieved only modest results. Bullying has traditionally been conceptualised within psychology in terms of individuals’ dysfunctionality, but research now also encompasses bullying based on bias rather than personal characteristics, with identity at its centre. Scholars from various disciplines increasingly propose bullying to be a functional, group-based phenomenon concerned with social positioning, but the traditional definition still predominates. Furthermore, there is no widely-accepted definition of bias-based bullying, and a lack of theoretical guidance for practice. This conceptual paper focuses on the application of the social identity approach and related theories to bias-based bullying, examining the relevance of the traditional criteria. Taking separately the perspectives of targets and perpetrators, a new definition is proposed that draws upon social identity principles, including perceived group memberships and stereotyping. Comparison is made with the proposed new UNESCO definition of bullying. The theoretical perspectives explored offer an alternative conceptualisation of bias-based bullying for guiding research and practice, potentially leading to more effective prevention and intervention programmes aimed at creating greater safety and equity in our schools.