Differences in Participant Behaviors in Cyber Bullying according to the Psychological Characteristics of Bystanders in Offline Bullying among Adolescents

This study focused on adolescent bystanders by reflecting the collective contextual view of bullying and investigated cyber bullying associating with offline bullying. We examined gender differences in the participant behaviors of offline and cyber bullying, and examined the differences in cyber bullying participant behaviors by classifying the types of bystanders according to psychological characteristics. A survey was conducted for 1st and 2nd graders of middle school on Jeju Island. The results are as follows: First, gender differences have emerged in offline and cyber bullying participant behaviors. Second, according to the similarity of the psychological characteristics of the bystanders, the types of bystanders in offline bullying were classified into “pro-bullying” (17.1%), “anti-bullying” (47.7%), and “ambivalence” (35.2%). Third, differences have emerged between each participant behavior of cyber bullying according to the bystanders’ type of offline bullying. This study has significance by discovering that grouping of bystanders by their psychological characteristics is reflected in cyber bullying participant behaviors. The findings suggest that prevention and intervention considering gender and bystanders’ characteristics should be provided for both offline and cyber bullying.