How Not to Deal with Bullying

##### September 1, 2026 * * * # How Not to Deal with Bullying The amount of bullying that goes on in schools is as sobering as the psychological impact it has on its victims, sometimes lasting into adulthood. Alas, common strategies for dealing with this problem are often ineffective and even counterproductive. In fact, we may inadvertently create a climate conducive to bullying by relying on punitive discipline and also by pitting students against each other in contests. Rather than just trying to protect individual kids — or, worse, *punishing* bullies — we need to work with all students (and adults) to restructure the school’s culture and norms. RESOURCES: Barbara Coloroso, *The Bully, The Bullied, and the Not-So-Innocent Bystander* (William Morrow, 2004/2016) – https://tinyurl.com/4z3nmyur Katherine Schaeffer, “9 Facts About Bullying in the U.S.,” Pew Resarch Report, 2023 – https://tinyurl.com/ybe5axjh Frank Elgar et al., “Income Inequality and School Bullying,” *Journal of Adolescent Health* 45 (2009) – https://tinyurl.com/4rj6fs98 Suzet Tanya Lereya et al., “Parenting Behavior and the Risk of Becoming a Victim and a Bully/Victim,” *Child Abuse & Neglect* 37 (2013) – https://tinyurl.com/4ncaecv5 Kyriaki Fousiani et al., “Perceived Parenting and Adolescent Cyber-Bullying,” *Journal of Child and Family Studies* 25 (2016) – https://is.gd/ziVkTJ William E. Copeland et al., ” Adult Psychiatric Outcomes of Bullying and Being Bullied…,” *JAMA Psychiatry* 70 (2013) – https://tinyurl.com/wk6du7ba Mark J. Van Ryzin & Cary J. Roseth, “Cooperative Learning in Middle School, *Journal of Educational Psychology* 110 (2018) – https://is.gd/k04lUr Maria Rosaria Di Stasio et al., “Social Comparison, Competition, and Teacher-Student Relationships…Predicts Bullying and Victimization,” *Journal of Adolescence* 53 (2016) – https://tinyurl.com/bdddtdej Sung Hyeon Cheon et al., “Cluster Randomized Control Trial to Reduce Peer Victimization,” *American Psychologist* 78(2023) – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36701523/   ***A note from Alfie Kohn**:* If you’re enjoying *Kohn’s Zone*, please tell other people about it. If you have feedback about an episode, send it to https://www.alfiekohn.org/contact-us/. And if you’re willing to do your part to keep the podcast ad- and paywall-free, please click on the donate button or visit https://coff.ee/kohnszone. Thanks! * * * Please click the button below to donate. If you don’t see a button, please go to this page (https://coff.ee/kohnszone). [Donate](https://coff.ee/kohnszone "https://coff.ee /kohnszone") * * * PRODUCTION SUPPORT: Ultraviolet Audio ART: Abi Kohn