Bullying

The Social Destruction of Self

By: Laura Martocci

Narrated by: Colleen Patrick

In her forceful social history, Bullying, Laura Martocci explores the "bully culture" that has claimed national attention since the late 1990s.

Moving beyond the identification of aggressive behaviors to an analysis of how and why we have arrived at a culture that thrives on humiliation, she critiques the social forces that gave rise to, and help maintain, bullying. Martocci's analysis of gossip, laughter, stereotyping, and competition - dynamics that foment bullying and prompt responses of shame, violence, and depression - is positioned within a larger social narrative: the means by which we negotiate damaged social bonds and the role that bystanders play in the possibility of atonement, forgiveness, and redemption.

Martocci's fresh perspective on bullying positions shame as pivotal. She urges us to acknowledge the pain and confusion caused by social disgrace; to understand its social, psychological, and neurological nature; and to address it through narratives of loss, grief, and redemption - cultural supports that are already in place.

The book is published by Temple University Press.

©2015 Temple University (P)2016 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Martocci's book offers a new and exciting interdisciplinary and sociocultural approach to the serious and complex issue of bullying. I am certain that Bullying will have a wide appeal to both academics working in cultural studies and educators, practitioners, and clinicians working on this social problem." (E. Doyle McCarthy, Professor of Sociology at Fordham University)

"Martocci's book is both compassionate and impartial, balancing the emotion surrounding bulling with the integrity of her research." ( Foreword Reviews)