Bullying and the peer group: A review

It is often stated that bullying is a "group process", and many researchers and policymakers share the belief that interventions against bullying should be targeted at the peer-group level rather than at individual bullies and victims. There is less insight into what in the group level should be changed and how, as the group processes taking place at the level of the peer clusters or school classes have not been much elaborated. This paper reviews the literature oil the group involvement in bullying, thus providing insight into the individuals' motives for participation in bullying, the persistence of bullying. and the adjustment of victims across different peer contexts. Interventions targeting the peer group are briefly discussed and future directions for research on peer processes in bullying are suggested. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.