European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 26, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Bridging the brute new research helps temper schoolyard bullies by Barry Shlachter associated press Illy Wright was a mean 8-year-old, a bully through and through. He was the sort of kid who lorded Over the playground forcing weaker classmates into submission through Force or threat. His aggression was so unbridled that he even got into fights with his teacher. Billy Wright is one of thousands of youngsters who through Plain terror have held Sway Over their Peers. Until recently they have been largely ignored by the authorities. Now people like psychologist Robert Salman Are taking notice. Selman an associate professor at Harvard s graduate school of education and its medical school treated Billy Wright not his real name Lor two years he thinks he helped Billy and that other bullies whose problems Otten can be traced to troubled family lives also can be helped. While there arc naturally assertive and dominant personal lies i Don t think there Are natural bullies says Selman. If one has been bullied by adults it becomes a style one picks  Harvard psychologist Ronald g. Slaby. 42, who also has studied bullies agrees. He said new research has found that interaction Between Amity members and Between classmates As Well As social conditions in the neighbourhood greatly contribute to aggressive Kabilka. Some otherwise Normal children become bullies when they see coercion pay off Slaby says. And boys show higher Levels of both verbal and physical aggression than Girts because adults May tolerate even encourage such behaviour As part of the traditional masculine image. There Are also groups of bullies. At Boston s English High school building a Tew years ago took the form of Black americans intimidating students of haitian descent until school authorities stepped in with a special program to address the problem says assistant headmaster Lavaughn Chapman. Now the bullying has taken a More individual character such As kids forcing others from their school bus seats he says. The inner City school Deats with the problem with a warning or a suspension followed by counselling by Harvard doctoral candidates in psychology. We have found that we can deter bullies by monitoring their Progress Chapman says. Acute cases Are referred to school system psychologists. Elsewhere considerable research has been undertaken in Scandinavia and the japanese recently surprised academics by expressing grave concern about their own Brand of schoolyard thugs. Tvs a phenomenon in Many countries says Gerald lesser a Harvard professor of education who recently returned from a four month visit to Japan. Bullies Are receiving a lot of attention in Japan because they re not consistent with japanese culture which is to treat each other with Courtesy and  the norwegian government considers it a major social problem and has asked a leading authority on bullies. Psychologist Dan okie a to sat up a National school program to Deal with the aggressors and their whipping boys said Gerald Patterson. He is a research scientist at Harvard  Robert Selman i had Ronald a. Slaby whose research target is bullies. The Oregon social learning Center in Eugene. Patterson says that 10 years of research in Sweden and elsewhere has shown that both bullies and their victims retain their patterns of behaviour for at least two years. A bully finds it very reinforcing to inflict pain on other people and then Gal submissive reactions a said in a Telephone interview. And i think there Are adults like that As Well As children. You can go into a bar or into an army unit and find the same  but unlike anti social pre adolescents whom Patterson has studied Lor the past 20 years Many bullies do Well in school and can be quite socially skilled he says. Slaby a psychologist at Harvard s graduate school of education and medical school says tha everyday problem of schoolyard toughs is compounded by parents who ill advisedly teach their children to be a bully in return by striking Back. There Are strategies of negotiating ignoring talking Back in a non provocative manner seeking support from parents Peers and teachers and facing Down the provocation without retaliating through aggression he says. Perhaps our schools and our culture have been remiss in teaching How to be assertive without being aggressive and by assertive i mean standing up Tor one s right holding one s ground without being hostile the psychologist says. Like Many built a a Jim Wrt Ghl was a lonely child who Felt he was t wanted and craved to belong Selman says. He was shuttled betwee divorced parents who ignored him he always fell deep Down that he was t getting enough of anything in the Boston suburb where he lived Selman recalls. At baseball or kickball he got upset if he could t pick the Best players for his Side. He would taunt kids on either team who made mistakes. When he did t get his Way he would push people around Selman says. He did this to such an extent on the school playground that All the other kids were afraid of him. He could t tolerate not winning or his team not  Selman set up a program in which kids like Billy Are paired with Meek children who have been chronic victims. They then interact in the weekly sessions under the supervision of trained therapists. In this private pairing you could see Tho other Side of Billy come out the passivity and the feeling of helplessness. No physical or verbal abuse is allowed and in the natural course of interaction we try to make the bully less aggressive and the maak kid less withdrawn. The adult has to do a lot of mediating in the beginning with the ultimate goal to work out their problems As a  Billy returned to his Public school following two years of intensive counselling Salman says. He still has a hot temper but a lot of the meanest is gone. To was t cured from being a Hothead but a no longer is a sadistic kind of  Bombeck there s something about this Day. It s one of the few times a family assembles for no reason whatsoever. The will in t being read. No one is getting married no one is being bar Mit Vahed or confirmed. No one is celebrating a birthday or an anniversary. No one died. There Are no speeches. No toasts. No entertainment. No one dresses up in a costume to via for a prize. There Are no promises of gifts wrapped in mystery and fancy paper. Thanksgiving is like a kiss from your husband for no reason it s like a phone Call from your kids who Don t want anything but just to talk. It s comparable to a smile on a baby s face As he sleeps. Jammed Between two commercial religious holidays How has thanksgiving survived  maybe there s a parallel Between thanksgiving and families families Are nol the fourth of july. There Are no Brilliant flashes thai Light up the sky or awesome colors that dazzle. A Lew fireworks from time to time maybe there s just an excl Iange of the mundane. How s your cold did you lock the front door i renewed my to  families Aren t halloween. There Are no masks to hide behind. They All know you too Well for pretence if you get uppity Over Acme Success they la put it All in perspective for you by remembering when you wet the bed at Church Camp or spelled minute with two i s in the spelling Bee and blew it. Families Aren t easter either. They could t stand the Strain of being cloaked in pious Ness for any longer than 24 hours. They d be uncomfortable walking around in All that Patent leather and speaking hallelujah. Families certainly Aren t Christmas. Of course there Era some Nice moments but the relationships Aren t based on designer gift wrapping and Mistletoe. We tend to compare it to Christmas past and it it does t measure up we become morose. New years that s not family either it s an artificial party atmosphere that we create to look backward when there in t enough time to allow a decent perspective on what you be done or Haven t done. But thanksgiving. It s honest and simple and warm and natural. No big Deal. Just Selling the table at mom s House and feeling like a child again. Having her yell at her grandchildren for lipping the knobs on her Organ. Having Granddad try to be sociable and watch sports on to. Hearing Mother say you can Cook for two Days and in 20 minutes it s Over hearing everyone say i ate too  it s All very predictable and Ordinary. No one has to say anything. It s a no reason Holiday. An Opportunity to reflect and to be thankful thai All of you were. And still Are. C a  up dam wednesday. November 26, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 17