Punishment is the first reaction most people think of when they find out that a child is a bully. They rarely investigate the reason why the child is emotionally, verbally or even physically harming their peers.

Tebello Mabusela, a psychology lecturer at the North-West University (NWU), discusses the various factors that could possibly lead to bullying, and the type of support that a “bully” should be offered.

According to Tebello, a child’s upbringing, possible unmet needs, socioeconomic issues and exposure to a violent and aggressive environment where they have to fight for survival are some of the factors that could possibly contribute towards a child having bullying traits. She adds that bullying can also be a learned behaviour.

A child’s environment plays a significant role in developing their personality and character. She uses a notion of “a child not being an island” – a child’s behaviour cannot be isolated from his environment, he learns and imitates the behaviour of those around him.

At a certain developmental stage, children can differentiate themselves from those around them and start developing their own thinking, emotions and behaviours. However, some children find it difficult to differentiate and continue to imitate the behaviour learned from their environment until adulthood.