Crime:

• Children who were bullies in middle to high school are 60 percent more likely to have a criminal conviction by the age of 24

• A bully is five times more likely than a victim to have a serious criminal record in adulthood

• Workplace bullying causes $3 billion in lost productivity and a $19 billion loss in employment every year

Behavior:

• Adults who were bullies as children are 10 times more likely to lie, six times more likely to fight and almost three times as likely to engage in harassment than adults who were not bullies

• Bullies are 11 times more likely to have had conduct disorder than non-bullies

Types of Adult bullies:

• Narcissistic Adult Bully: Self-centered and does not share empathy with others → additionally, there is little anxiety about the consequences

• Impulsive Adult Bully: More spontaneous and plan their bullying out less → even if consequences are likely, this adult bully has a hard time restraining their behavior

• Physical Bully: Rarely turns to physical confrontation, there are, nonetheless, bullies that use physicality → in some cases, the adult bully may not actually physically harm the victim, but may use the threat of harm, or physical domination through looming

• Verbal Adult Bully: Start rumors about the victim, or use sarcastic or demeaning language to dominate or humiliate another person. This subtle type of bullying also has the advantage – to the bully – of being difficult to document → however, the emotional and psychological impacts of verbal bullying can be felt quite keenly and can result in reduced job performance and even depression

• Secondary Adult Bully: Does not initiate the bullying, but joins in so that he or she does not actually become a victim down the road → secondary bullies may feel bad about what they are doing, but are more concerned about protecting themselves

Why do they bully?

• Bullies tend to have a form of maladjustment-- failure to cope with the demands of a normal social environment

• They bully to establish their social status and network

• Research has also shown that bullying can be more about difficulties in the bully's life than about the victim

Stereotypes

• Stereotypes held by the general public are influential for the perpetrators in leading to how they are viewed as "powerful" or "influential" in their social circles

• These stereotypes include:

  • High on psychopathology

  • Low on social skills

  • Possessing few competencies that peer groups value

Long-Term Effects

1. 1. 1. Abuse alcohol/ drugs in adolescence and adulthood

      2. Engage in early sexual activity

      3. Drop out of school

      4. Have criminal convictions/ traffic citations as adults

      5. Be abusive to romantic partners, spouses, children, or other adults