Is Being A Bully A Sign Of Status?

[BABY1]

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• What You Need To Know
• High-status bullies torment others to protect their social standing.
• Low-status bullies' behavior is often an attempt to fit into an exclusive social group.
• High-status bullies are more likely to commit crimes in a calculating and organized way.

"Victims of bullying are usually markedly different from their peers, which is why they're singled out in the first place."

The Status Of The Bully

Bullying has changed dramatically over the past decade; on the surface, it's become far less prevalent, but it has also evolved, taking root in online social networks where so much of the country spends much of its time. Regardless of where it happens, though, it's always somehow about status, and whatever you learned about bullying in school is still a pretty serviceable illustration of how status conflicts work.

This article is about the perception (both internal and external) of two entirely different types of bullies, high- and low-status, but that's not meant to indicate that any of these motivations are obvious, even to adult bullies. A bully usually doesn't attack a guy in a bar after considering that he's out to safeguard his position in a social hierarchy; these are unconscious motivations. On both the bully's side and the victim's side, though, they're somehow about status; either someone's status is being defended or another person is being punished for some status transgression.

the high-status bully

How the high-status bully sees himself
High-status bullies are confident and socially powerful, and their behavior is meant to safeguard their positions of already high status. Obviously, victims of bullying are usually markedly different from their peers, which is why they're singled out in the first place. But the difference in motivations is that, to a high-status bully, the victim has invited the bullying by subverting some social norm. High-status bullies rationalize their behavior. This is a rarely addressed pitfall of growing up with high self-esteem; paired with aggression, it fuels a vicious cycle, because the bully is confident in his status and his motivation enough that he sees no downside to his behavior, and he continues to be rewarded for it.

How others see the high-status bully High-status doesn't necessarily mean being well-liked; this bully archetype includes the entitled personality that goes along with being a respected high school athlete, but is also represented by the insufferably wealthy prick tooling around in a car worth more than your house. You probably don't like the latter guy, but he's generally a high-status figure, and probably surrounds himself with company that supports him socially.

Low-status bullies are the kind that you used to avoid in grade school.

Low-status bullies are also likely to rationalize their behavior, but out of cynicism instead of confidence. "

That support is the key element here, in that high-status bullies may not be adored, but they're seen as (or at least assumed to be) leaders, and in some cases that even defines the whole scope of their bullying. Social bullying, for example -- the type that is limited entirely to spreading rumors and ostracizing the victim -- isn't even possible for a low-status bully; it's solely the domain of someone popular enough to have social support and socially skilled enough to influence opinion.

the low-status bully

How the low-status bully sees himself

On the opposite end of the spectrum, low-status bullies don't act in order to exercise their status, but in order to win any status at all (or simply out of aggression). They often have self-esteem issues, suffer from depression and have poorer impulse control than their high-status counterparts. Low-status bullies are also likely to rationalize their behavior, but out of cynicism instead of confidence. One Italian study found that, though bullies were markedly different from non-bullies in justifying their actions, only low-status bullies demonstrated an unusually high level of cynicism about human nature while doing so.

How others see the low-status bully
Low-status bullies are often bullied themselves, and typically fall into the category of "bully-victims." While high-status bullies are often identified in literature by a simple moniker like "popular," low-status bullies are defined as "controversial" or "rejected," meaning that they're either evenly liked and disliked or disliked entirely. They don't have a keen understanding of social relationships, and their behavior is often an attempt to fit into a social group from which they're excluded.

all about status

If the high-status bully is a popular manipulator, then the low-status bully is brash and impulsive. This isn't to say that there's a substantial difference in their likelihood to be violent -- high-status bullies are actually more likely to commit violent crimes, but in an orchestrated, calculated way (for low-status bullies, conversely, picture anger and fistfights). Neither archetype is necessarily more dangerous than the other, but they're both reacting to the way their peers perceive status. It's that innate status hierarchy that empowers one person and diminishes another.

[venom27]

Tweetbullies r nothing but punks. not one bully that used to pick on me in grade school would even attempt to mess with me now i guess im not the same pudgy kid with glasses i used to be. and its best when u see adult bullies in the gym and u stand next to them and out lift them to make them feel little.

[jipped genes]

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bullies r nothing but punks. not one bully that used to pick on me in grade school would even attempt to mess with me now i guess im not the same pudgy kid with glasses i used to be. and its best when u see adult bullies in the gym and u stand next to them and out lift them to make them feel little.

agree. punks