Chapter 6: Peer Victimization in Early Childhood: Identification and Risk

Bullying is a pervasive problem that can begin as early as children enter informal and formal peer group settings, such as daycare, preschool and kindergarten. Although caution is warranted in labeling preschoolers as bullies, evidence is mounting that the roots of bullying can be seen during the preschool and kindergarten years (Alsaker & Gutzwiller-Helfenfinger, 2010; Alsaker & Nägele, 2008; Crick, Casa, & Ku, 1999; Monks, Smith, Swettenham, 2003; Kochenderfer-Ladd, Ladd & Kochel, 2009). Specifically, definitions of bullying typically emphasize three characteristics: (1) intention to harm, (2) repetitiveness, and (3) aimed toward individuals who are in a weaker or more vulnerable position (i.e., imbalance of power) that distinguish it from other types of aggressive behavior (see Olweus, 2010)—and, as noted by Alsaker and Gutzwiller-Helfenfinger (2010), there is nothing in this definition that precludes preschoolers from being capable of engaging in bullying behavior. Rather, the hesitancy to label young children as “bullies” is that aggression is more common during this developmental period than at any other time (i.e., physical and verbal aggression peaks in early childhood; see Cumming, Iannotti & Zahn-Waxler, 1989)—and it is often difficult to distinguish between aggression that stems from immaturity, poor self-regulation, or reactivity to another’s aggressive overtures and bullying which is intended to hurt or inflict injury on others.