Intrapersonal processes of peer abuse amongst junior high school students

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationships amongst cognitive empathy, emotional empathy, narcissism, norms regarding abusive behavior (relational·direct), and potential participation, for two types of peer abuse (relational·direct) among junior high school students. Participants were 188 junior high school students (103 boys, 85 girls). The students completed a questionnaire that asked about their potential participation in abusive acts toward a classmate, cognitive empathy, emotional empathy, narcissism, and class and group norms regarding direct and indirect abusive behavior. A hypothesized model of the inherent intrapersonal process was investigated, using structural covariance analysis. The results indicated that: (1) norms regarding abusive behavior have a direct effect on potential participation for both types of abuse; (2) narcissism influences potential participation indirectly via norms regarding both types of abuse; (3) cognitive empathy influences potential participation indirectly via norms regarding relational abuse and has a direct effect on potential participation for direct abuse; (4) emotional empathy influences potential participation indirectly via norms regarding both types of abuse. The importance of intervening through class and group norms was discussed.