Conference Proceedings

2004 Scottish Branch Annual Conference

Psychology in today's society
Conference Venue: Fisher's Hotel, Pitlochry
Scottish Branch

From: 26 Nov 2004
To: 28 Nov 2004

 
Peer-Reviewed

An investigation of the association between locus of control orientations and roles within bully/victim interactions

Lesley Drennan <[email]>
Department of Psychology, University of Strathclyde

James Boyle <James Boyle>
Department of Psychology, University of Strathclyde


This study examined the association between locus of control and bully/victim relationships.  197 pupils aged between 8 and 10 years completed the Locus of Control Scale for Children (Norwicki and Strickland, 1973) and a modified version of the Hunter and Boyle (2002) bullying survey.  The results revealed that the victims of bullying were more likely to display external control orientation than internal (p<0.001) and that those uninvolved in bullying interactions were more likely to display internal orientations than external (p<0.001).  Victims experiencing high frequency of bullying were more likely to display external orientations while those experiencing low frequency of bullying were more likely to display internal orientations (p<0.05).  Victims experiencing long-term and intermediate-term bullying were also more likely to display external control orientation (p < 0.001) while victims of short-term bullying were more likely to display internal orientations (p<0.05).  The implications for intervention are discussed.