“Scientists” and “amateurs”: mapping the bullying domain

Abstract

When a new field is explored, a variety of approaches can be used to clarify, identify and explain the phenomenon at hand. Traditional psychological research attributes a quasi‐physical quality to the bullying phenomenon, and attempts to capture it by rigorous measurement of a number of variables. We argue that, while this approach has considerable advantages, an investigation of the way “amateur scientists” explain “bullying” can aid a more detailed understanding. The use of the Critical Incident Technique in focus groups allowed participants to make their implicit thoughts and feelings about bullying explicit. Participants revealed a number of auxiliary or alternative frameworks to account for bullying‐related phenomena. It is suggested that these frameworks need closer scrutiny in terms of social representations. Implications of this approach are discussed in terms of their potential effect on policy development and implementation, highlighting the role organisational culture plays in this field.