2017/10/24 by Daniel P. Mears, Melissa M. Moon, Angela J. Thielo · 1 citation
Psychology · Social Sciences · Medicine · Engineering · #Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression #Gun Ownership and Violence Research #Education Discipline and Inequality #Argument (complex analysis) #Mythology #Criminology #Psychology #Poison control #Suicide prevention #School violence #Connection (principal bundle) #Social psychology #History #Medicine #Engineering #Medical emergency
paper · doi:10.1080/15564886.2017.1307295
openalex publication_date 2017/10/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2025/11/06
After the Columbine school shooting in 1999, concern about bullying crescendoed. A prominent belief emerged that bullying causes school shootings. However, many of the beliefs about bullying constitute myths—that is, empirically unverified assumptions. These beliefs ignore critical conceptual issues that attend to efforts to understand the bullying–school shootings connection. In so doing, they likely inhibit progress toward a more accurate understanding of the causes of school shootings and what can be done to prevent them. The authors present this argument and identify recommendations for research and policy.