Question: I was told that sometimes, bullies are bullies because of something to do with the brain being different/past experiences. Is this true? If it is, how/why?

Rebecca Dewey answered on 22 Jun 2015:

Sometimes a person can have something happen to them that they have been distressed by or will remember with a strong negative emotional attachment, such as a trauma. If the person is still bothered by this, then they can feel that they lack the control that it is important to feel in their life. This can make their behaviour erratic or make them want to take control over other aspects of their (or other people’s lives). This could perhaps result in them bullying, definitely not in all cases, and it doesn’t mean that all bullies do so because of this.

If someone is being bullied, or if someone sees bullying going on, then they should inform a member of staff at the school so that something can be done to stop the bullying from happening and help the bully if they need it too.