Self-esteem – the Decisive Difference between Bullying and Assertiveness in Adolescence?
Self-esteem – the Decisive Difference between Bullying and Assertiveness in Adolescence?

Summary/Abstract: The extensive literature and researches on bullying illustrate the connections between self-esteem and the bullying phenomenon, asserting that both faces, bullying, and being bulliedare related to some degrees with low self-esteem. Considering the bullying behavior as aform of aggressivity and being bullied as an expression of passive behavior, this studyintroduces the third subject of inquiry: the assertive behavior. The study investigates theimpact of self-esteem on assertiveness, passive vs. aggressive conduct, and positiveinteractions among high school students. While these aspects were usually investigated atan early age, this study approaches them in adolescence, involving 82 adolescent studentsfrom high schools from Timisoara, with diverse specializations. The need to fit, the need foracceptance, and the fear of social rejection increase in adolescence. At this age of dramaticchanges, students are susceptible to verbal, physical, or emotional bullying, with an essentialimpact on their self-esteem, as they are very dependent on peers' approval, perceptions andreactions. Healthy self-esteem and assertiveness might be powerful tools to fight againstbullying, but there is very little focus on teaching them in traditional education. This studyshows the strong correlation between self-esteem and assertiveness, and the predispositionof students with low self-esteem to passive or aggressive types of interactions.

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