Although passion and widespread sympathy for bullying victims is natural and admirable, those who want to stop bullying abuse need to act in ways that reflect good science and proven research if they want to contribute to a culture that does not condone this behavior, according to the director of the University at Buffalo’s anti-bullying center.
“There is such a tension right now around the issue of bullying. A lot of people have passion and want to make a difference,” says Amanda B. Nickerson, the director of UB’s Dr. Jean Alberti Center for the Prevention of Bullying Abuse and School Violence in the Graduate School of Education.
“But I’m worried that passion is not coupled with good science and theory behind it,” Nickerson says. “So one of the things the Alberti Center can do is conduct research and also look closely at what we know about the research to guide the efforts.”
National attention and concern with bullying continues to be one of the most discussed and debated social issues of the year. Most recently, singer Lady Gaga started a new nonprofit foundation to promote “self-confidence and anti-bullying.” The entertainer has often cited the suicide of 14-year-old Williamsville high school student Jamey Rodemeyer. Her new “Born This Way” foundation came about after she recently met with President Obama to discuss ways to combat youth bullying.
Given the attention and outcry over this tragedy — and the steady stream of media attention to the implications of Rodemeyer’s death — Nickerson addressed related topics, from the tell-tale signs your child is being bullied to Nickerson’s mission at UB’s Alberti Center.
Source:University at Buffalo
