Recognition of Social Pain among Peers: Rethinking the Role of Bystanders in Bullying and Cyberbullying

Antibullying interventions that encourage bystanders to intervene have variable outcomes, some even associated with increased rates of bullying. In this article, I account for these challenges with a reconceptualization of the bystander role within an intersubjective field of traumatic enactment. Bystanders in adolescence and emerging adulthood can learn to play a crucial role in mitigating the traumatic effects of peer aggression by providing recognition of social pain from the unique vantage of peers—a role that parents, teachers, and clinicians must play with younger children. Two case examples demonstrate the need and potential for peers to provide empathic and accountable recognition.