The process of how youngsters become bullies and slowly withdraw the behavior was explored through in-depth interviews of eight bullies in a secondary school in Hong Kong. Most respondents sympathized with the victims initially. They started to bully others for various reasons. Gains of security, power, material benefit, fun, and emotional release reinforced the behavior. Inhibition was influenced by school discipline and family response. The relative forces of the encouraging and inhibiting factors in the process determined the perpetuation or termination of the behavior. A four-phase model is developed to explain the dynamics. The implications of the findings are discussed.
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