“The results from Tomas Jungert’s study showed a connection between warm student-teacher relationships and the internal motivation of students to defend victims of bullying.

“It could be a relationship where the teacher tries to be empathetic and get along with the student, rather than to issue threats of punishment”, says Tomas Jungert.

There was, on the other hand, a link between conflicted teacher-student relationships and the students’ external motivation to help victims of bullying but, as it turns out, it is the internal, not the external, motivation that becomes significant in the defence of bullied students. Students driven by an external motivation, on the contrary, are more inclined to remain passive bystanders or even side with the bully when witnessing an act of bullying.

“Those who are driven by external motivation want to receive praise and perhaps increase their status within the group. In a situation of victimisation found in many schools, it is very plausible to assume that many students find it less risky and more profitable to associate with the bully, which is often a person with a lot of power”, says Tomas Jungert.”

— Lund University