“I Laughed Along for Years But Hated It Inside:” Understanding Nuance in Peer Teasing Experiences Using a Thematic Analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Peer teasing is ubiquitous, yet ambiguous in nature. Despite recent attempts to delineate and clarify differences in teasing experienced as playful versus harmful, there remains overlap and complexity in these interactions. In the current study, we present a conceptual model of teasing, which includes many nested features that dynamically interact within a teasing episode. Using this conceptual model to guide our work, the goal of the current study was to use qualitative inquiry to bring further conceptual clarity to the overlap between teasing that is experienced as playful versus harmful. Method: Using semi-structured interviews, we asked university students (N = 27; 63% female, 18–25 years old) in Ontario, Canada, to describe a teasing interaction from their adolescence that they experienced as 1) harmful and 2) playful, with prompts to fully explore the specifics and context of the interaction. Results: Using thematic analysis, six primary themes were identified: reciprocity versus repetition, the role of power, factors that amplify harm, the interaction between targets' and perpetrators' responses, the need for social skills, and the lasting impacts of teasing. Conclusions: These themes demonstrate the various mechanistic patterns that are involved in complex teasing interactions and play an important role in the experience of teasing as either harmful or playful. Implications for teachers, parents, and youth themselves in managing social relationships are discussed.