Study from UK: Self-disparaging humor associated with being bullied

[HereSince1628]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130501090657.htm

May 1, 2013 — There is a clear link between children's use of humour and their susceptibility to being bullied by their peers, according to a major new study released today by Keele University.

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The findings reveal that children who use self-defeating forms of humour -- eg. self-disparaging language / putting themselves down to make other people laugh -- are more likely to be bullied than those who use more positive forms of humour. The study also found that peer victimisation led to an increase in the use of self-defeating humour over time, showing that victims of bullying are often trapped in a vicious cycle, where being bullied deprives them of the opportunities to practice positive humour with peers and leads them to rely on self-defeating humour, perhaps as a way to get others to like them.

Dr Claire Fox, lead researcher from Keele University, said, "What our study shows is that humour clearly plays an important role in how children interact with one another and that children who use humour to make fun of themselves are at more risk of being bullied. We know that this negative use of humour is a nurtured behavior, influenced by a child's social environment rather than genetics. This makes the behaviour easier to change, so we hope the next step for this study is to see whether it is possible to 'teach' children how to use humour to enhance their resilience and encourage them to not use negative forms of humour."

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[Tobin S.]

1. Interesting

I used to have a self-deprecating sense of humor. I was bullied by other children a bit, but the source of my self-disparagement was at home.

I'm glad you posted this because I hadn't really noticed that my self-deprecating habit is gone...but it is. I guess it makes sense that people who are not taught to respect themselves will have a harder time getting respect from others. When I look at how much I lost due to a poor upbringing it saddens me a bit, and it also makes me angry. But I've got too many good things happening to me now for it to be too much of a drag. I feel like I've mostly made my peace with it.

Flourishing when those around you just wanted to tear you down is the best revenge.

[HereSince1628]

2. This report tweaked me as being counter to common socialization efforts

that try to steer people away from blaming the victims.

While I understand feedback cycles, I did find it a bit discomforting to think
that some fraction of being bullied is elicited by the victims own self-image.

[Tobin S.]

3. I don't think it's the self-deprecating person's fault that they get bullied

My understanding is that they are just easy targets. The bully is still in the wrong no matter who he or she picks on and for whatever reason.

I didn't read the entire article, though. Just what you have posted here.

[HereSince1628]

4. I agree that the bully is wrong...but it appears that

there is an awful negative feedback loop for at least some victims.