The Power of Civility: A Transdisciplinary Examination of Adolescent Social Power and Bullying

Abstract

Adolescents are keenly aware of the importance of social power, leading some to bully others in order to acquire and/or maintain that socialpower. Traditional efforts to understand and prevent adolescent bullying have largely proven to be limited or ineffective. In response to this, researchers have called for a transdisciplinary approach to bullying. Unfortunately, a transdisciplinary approach is challenging to implement, partly because it depends on, and is sometimes constrained by, the successful implementation of civility. We suggest that civility may not only be required for research but may also serve as a key for transdisciplinary efforts to understand and guide adolescents’ use of social power.