Eva Romera
University of Cordoba
The moral dimension in the phenomenon of bullying.
Participants: Ana Bravo Castillo, Antonio Cabrera Vázquez, Antonio Camacho López, Paula García Carrera
Bullying, both in its direct or face-to-face form (bullying) and through digital devices (cyberbullying), involves the deliberate and repeated use of the social power of one/s with respect to another/s with the intention of causing harm. It is this intentionality, by undermining the well-being of others that has the greatest impact on coexistence, which makes it important to detect, intervene and eliminate the phenomenon. This behaviour has a moral dimension that we have been highlighting through scientific work, and which, however, is not sufficiently addressed in educational plans and daily practices. The symposium represents a commitment to an innovative theoretical and methodological perspective, which seeks to highlight the socio-moral mechanisms that can influence an individual to unjustly assault another, while others remain impassive in the face of the humiliation of a colleague. Four research studies are presented that examine the role of motivation, emotion, courage and moral disengagement impact on peer aggression and peer defence behaviours. The results are discussed in terms of the relevance of paying attention to the complex interactive dynamics that arise in bullying and cyberbullying phenomena and the relevance of the research presented for the design of preventive programmes that are in line with advances in the understanding of psychosocial and group cues in relationships between schoolchildren.
Eva M. Romera is a lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cordoba and a member of the Laboratory for the Study of Coexistence and Prevention of Violence (LAECOVI). She is currently directing the Official Master's Degree in Psychology Applied to Education and Social Welfare. Her research activity focuses on the study of interpersonal relationships, social and moral competence and peer violence. She has been principal investigator of several projects of the National Plan and another at European level (H2020) aimed at the analysis of risk and protection factors of bullying and cyberbullying and the promotion of social competence to improve mental health and well-being of schoolchildren. He has published a large number of articles in national and international journals of impact. She has supervised eight doctoral theses and has authored and co-authored manuals aimed at training teachers and the educational community to improve interpersonal relationships. She is a member of the Scientific Committee of the International Observatory of School Violence and a member of the board of the Scientific Association of Psychology and Education.
