The No Blame Approach to Bullying.

Bullying is an interaction which establishes group identity, dominance, and status at the expense of the victim; therefore, it is only through the development of values such as empathy, consideration, and unselfishness that the bully is likely to relinquish the behavior and function differently in a social setting. By involving peers, it is possible to enhance the empathic responses of healthy members of the group, in turn affecting the behavior of the group leader who no longer has the group's consent to bully. The "No Blame" approach is described in a 7-step process entailing: (1) interviewing the victim about his or her feelings; (2) convening a meeting with people involved, including bystanders and others in collusion with the behavior; (3) explaining the problem to the group, focusing on the victim's feeling and not allocating blame; (4) sharing responsibility through the teacher's statement that she/he knows that the group is responsible and can take action; (5) asking the group for suggestions to help the victim feel better; (6) giving responsibility for solving the problem to the group; and (7) meeting with the group again, including the victim, to monitor bullying and keep the students involved. Evaluation of this intervention in three studies indicates that the no-blame approach was successful at the primary and secondary level. (Contains 12 references.) (KB)