Bullying as a Rational Choice

This morning I was reading through my Facebook feed--a title really jumped out at me: "Bullying: A Rational Choice."  Having a friend who teaches economics, I hear the term "rational choice" quite a bit, as that is apparently how economists view choices people make for their economic models.

Anyway, I read through the blog post and it stunned me.  There is a compelling argument that is made about the origins of bullying and how it represents a social bonding experience related to conformity (increasing oxytocin), in-groups and out-groups.  Fascinating.  I would imagine that sharing such an article with your kids would yield some insights as well.

BrainBlogger Home Page:  http://brainblogger.com/

Bullying Post:  http://brainblogger.com/2013/02/01/bullying-a-rational-choice/

posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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Video Games and Violence

I haven't read any detailed reports of this incident yet, but this post about a teacher (Kennet Santana) who tackled an armed student caught my attention, both because of the courageous actions of the teacher AND because the story was reported on a technology blog. The blogger wonders about possible connections between the students' actions and video game violence. Do you talk about this research in your classes? The discussion could fit well in either the social chapter (aggression section) or possibly in the developmental chapter (Kohlberg? Cognitive maturation?). The APA published a 2003 interview with Dr. Craig Anderson debunking myths about what psychologists know about the influence of video games on real-world violence which might be a good resource for helping students keep this discussion research based.

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