Copyright Malvin Porter, Jr. 2010 - acumen - The University of ...

or she may reflect on the prosocial/caring responses that affect a positive resolution, and then
reflects on the negative emotions that might affect a less than desirable outcome. For example, a
victim may weight the fairness of the situation, followed by prosocial/care reasons that may
inhibit aggressive response and lead to prosocial actions (or, self-protective aggression in the
threat of physical harm). Alternatively, a flood of angry emotions may serve to exacerbate
aggressive actions regardless of personal safety.
It is interesting that children feel it is more appropriate for a bystander as opposed to a
victim to respond to bully victimization with aggression. Perhaps, children believe that victims
who respond with aggression are more likely to get victimization again; therefore, their most
effective response is to be prosocial. Further, children may reason that bystanders, who are
neither bullies nor victims, can intervene on behalf of a victim aggressively with greater power
and less subjectivity to retaliation that would otherwise befall the original victim of abuse.
Story Form of Victimization
This study found that both children’s Action Choices and Justification Choices varied
across Story Forms of Victimization. This study found that children were more likely to choose
Prosocial Action Choices when the story form of victimization was physical than when the story
form of victimization was relational. While the middle-class population sample may be
socialized to favor prosocial behavior over aggressive behavior, another explanation may be that
children may fear that an aggressive Action Choice by a victim in response to physical
victimization might result in more physical victimization and further social isolation from peers;
therefore, they may reason that the best action is a prosocial action.
Other research found that children who are victimized by peers exhibit more
internalizing behaviors, such as being quiet or withdrawn, depressed, and anxious (Craig, 1998;
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