Laura Martocci: Bullying: The Social Deconstruction of Self

Bullying: The Social Deconstruction of Self explores bullying by examining the historical, societal and cultural aspects that have brought about and fostered this social problem. The author, Laura Martocci, analyzes the modes by which people fall victim to bullying; actions that are the social norm but when taken too far, or when motives are cruel, can lead to great harm for victims. Among the most frequent harms are shame, which can lead to anger and depression, a loss of connection with others and deconstruction of self. Martocci investigates models that traditionally have been used to help victims of bullying, and suggests new ways that may be more effective. She focuses on expressive writing and how it can be very beneficial in recalling, reevaluating, and dealing with experiences that help targets of bullying make the shift from victims to survivors. Throughout the book, Martocci emphasizes the potential that would come by having bystanders interfere. Through acknowledgment of the bullying, standing up, and being there to listen and hear victims’ stories, bystanders can help facilitate healing and the reconnection victims of bullying need to recover from their shame. Martocci’s book provides a hope for a change in a society that fosters and that currently does little to effectively address the bullying culture. Martocci opens the book by reminding readers about the horrific spree of shooting Americans saw in the 90s. She points out that the usual suspects of race and class were not at play in these incidences and many were similar in that the shooters were normal middle class teenagers, not from broken families but were outcasts and seemed to be victims of bullying. The media and culture began to recognize that bullying was correlated with an increase in these tragedies but the author points out that little was done to address this social problem. Despite this criticism, Martocci still recognizes the difficulty in isolating and labeling the behaviors involved in bullying as one of the key obstacles in dealing with bullying. She ends the introduction with a call to society, a society she refers to as bystanders who can stand up and become a catalyst for change. In Chapter One, The Cultural and Historical Foundations of Bullying Culture, Martocci looks to the past, as far as to the foundations of our society. The basis of bullying culture today, she points out, stems from a shift from religious ideals to a culture of individuality and the individual being the master of self rather than turning to religion for salvation. Responsibility and pressure fell on the individual and focus shifted to the construction of self; people saw more importance in their appearance of worth to others. Martocci describes it as a shift to worrying about poise and charm rather than adherence to a moral code and personal grooming and health rather than hard work and sacrifice. The narcissist personality became more prevalent. In her analysis, she provides a good view into the mind of an adolescent; because of the few experiences they have had, each experience seems more important than it actually is and may be why bullying can be so harmful at this age because adolescents put so much weight on one experience. They do not yet have the skills to balance their sense of self with the views of others. But even as their number of experiences increases, feelings of shame and humiliation do not. Our society does not like to address shame but our society seems to foster personalities that have traits like aggressiveness and narcissism that tend to cause bullying. When religion was more important, there was the possibility of redemption; now people are & Katie Russell Katsruss@indiana.edu