Callous-unemotional traits, social goal orientations, and bullying perpetration: exploring concurrent associations during adolescence

Abstract

Bullying and cyberbullying is a severe problem afflicting adolescents worldwide, underscoring the need to understanding of the mechanisms behind bullying perpetration. In the current study, we examined the association between callous-unemotional traits, social goal orientations, and bullying/cyberbullying behaviours. The current study draws upon a sample of 435 adolescents, who completed an online questionnaire. A path model, which separately included the dimensions of callous-unemotional traits, revealed that callousness and agentic goals had a direct positive association with bullying and cyberbullying behaviours; uncaring also had a direct positive association with cyberbullying behaviour. There was a direct positive effect from callousness and uncaring onto agentic goals, and a negative effect onto communal goals. Unemotionality had a direct negative effect onto both agentic and communal goals. There was an additional indirect effect, linking callous-unemotional traits to bullying/cyberbullying behaviour via social goal orientations. We discuss the findings, drawing upon motivational, evolutionary, and social-emotional deficiency perspectives.