Social cognition and bullying: Social inadequacy or skilled manipulation?

In contrast to the popular stereotype and research tradition of the 'oafish ' bully lacking in social skills and understanding, the bully may be a cold , manipulative expert in social situations, organizing gangs and using subt le, indirect methods. Performance on a set of stories designed to assess un derstanding of cognitions and emotions was investigated in 193 7-10-year-ol ds in relation to role in bullying. Ringleader bullies scored higher chan ' follower' bullies (those who helped or supported the bully), victims and de fenders of the victim. Results are discussed in terms of the need for furth er research inco cognitive skills and emotion understanding in children who bully, the possible developmental pathway of social cognition in bullying and important implications for intervention strategies.