The double-edged sword effect of defending behavior on psychosocial adjustment in victims and its underlying mechanisms

Abstract: In bullying incidents, the behaviors of bystanders who support and defend the victims play a significant role. Many studies have focused on the influencing factors and positive effects of defending behavior, but there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of its negative effects on the bullied. Based on the nature and style of defending behavior, this paper proposes a four-type structure of defending behaviors and sorts out their positive and negative effects. Then, based on the general aggression model, this paper proposes the mechanism linking the double-edged sword effect of defending behaviors on the bullying victims’ psychosocial adjustment, considering both cognitive and emotional aspects and their interconnections. Finally, it proposes that future research should explore the intervention effects of different defending behaviors, identify ways to mitigate their negative impacts on victims, clarify the mechanisms linking defending behavior to psychosocial adjustment, and investigate the subsequent behaviors of victims and bystanders within social networks.