LMU Munich, Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy, Munich, Germany.
Department of Sociology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Aggress Behav. 2018 Nov;44(6):591-600. doi: 10.1002/ab.21784. Epub 2018 Aug 2.
Research has found that moral competence is negatively associated with bullying behavior in schools, but the drivers of this association are not yet well understood. In this paper, we report on two studies which suggest that moral competence acts as a moderator of peer influence in the context of school bullying. Data were collected at two time points in three German higher secondary schools (grades 7-10, average age at measurement: 14.26 years). Using a cross-lagged panel design (CLPD), study 1 (N = 251) found adolescents with low moral competence to be susceptible to peer influence, while no such effect was found for adolescents with high moral competence. Study 2, a cross-sectional analysis (N = 748), found moral competence to be inversely related to the likelihood of an individual's conforming with the pro-bullying behavior of his or her peers. Neither study found corresponding effects for pro-social, defending behavior. Our findings further illuminate the associations between moral competence, peer influence, and school bullying. Some implications for bullying prevention are discussed.
研究发现，道德能力与学校欺凌行为呈负相关，但这种关联的驱动因素尚不清楚。在本文中，我们报告了两项研究，这两项研究表明，在学校欺凌的背景下，道德能力充当了同伴影响的调节因素。数据是在德国三所高中（7-10 年级，两次测量的平均年龄：14.26 岁）的两个时间点收集的。使用交叉滞后面板设计（CLPD），研究 1（N=251）发现道德能力低的青少年容易受到同伴影响，而道德能力高的青少年则没有这种影响。研究 2 是一项横断面分析（N=748），发现道德能力与个体顺从同伴欺凌行为的可能性呈反比。这两项研究都没有发现亲社会、保护行为的对应影响。我们的研究结果进一步阐明了道德能力、同伴影响和学校欺凌之间的关系。讨论了一些关于欺凌预防的影响。
