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JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
terms of early and pre-school age) does not have the
experience of acting anonymously, but gradually acquires
competence in this procedure - to act aggressively. Typical are
the direct and indirect aggressor´s attacks against the victim
(Coyne et al., 2006). When comparing the latency rate at
younger school age, we can say that the aggressor has a
reasonable ability to act hidden, and his strategies are usually
well thought out. It can influence peer - group members while
managing the entire process of hidden aggression. If conditions
are created, usually a child who started with aggression in pre-
school age develops into concealed aggression person (see
Ostrov, Crick, 2006). The hidden aggressive behaviours of
early and pre-school age children are connected with problems
in childhood. Kováčová (2014) argues that peer-group
rejection of the child is linked to a variable range of social and
psychological issues.
1.2 Specific situations of latent aggression
Based on pre-school victims´ testimonies, latent aggressive
behaviour is typical by the specific statements in described
situations (see Tab. 1), in which an important role is played by
so-called message (important warning for the victim). The
basis of the described meta-comunication is to inform the
(potential) victim about prohibition to participate in a
particular situation and to inform the victim that his/her
presence is unwanted. The prohibition itself, as it is mentioned
above, is given by another person (sympathetic to the
aggressor), and the way the "ban" message is carried out in a
variety of forms - from verbal information to threatening (those
ways of communication can also be observed in groups of pre-
school children).
Tab. 1: Specific situations of latent aggression
Description of
the situation
The message
for the victim
Generated significant statement
(the children's testimony was shortened
but it expresses its meaning )
Common
collective game
No one will
play with you!
So I stood there looking at them. And
they played and played. They smiled and
whooped, and I just stood there.
Choosing a
friend
Nobody is
interested in
you.
When was a choice, they always ignored
me, and the worst thing was that my
friends started to do it, too.
Birthday party
If you come
in, anyway
you will be
alone.
I stood behind the door, I heard them to
laugh, but they did not open me the door
Excursion
You will sit
alone in the
bus.
And I sat as they told me. Everyone
looked at me when they thought I could
not see them
At the swimming
pool
You obstruct,
you have to be
careful.
Everyone poked me, “Sorry, you
obstruct!“
Acceptance or non-acceptance of the pupil by the group is
within the competence of the aggressor whose communication
with the group has specific features (see Table 2). They
describe latently aggressive action and some internal group
rules are required and they should be accepted automatically,
without rational justification.
Tab. 2: The most common aggressor´s statements against the
peer-group
Significant statement
Comment
He will not play with us, we all
know why ...
The aggressor does not expect that
somebody gives reason why. It is a fact
that must be accepted without any
critical analyses.
If he's a friend, he'll do what I say,
because otherwise we cannot rely
on him.
The aggressor creates own rules for
choosing a friend in a group - either
he/she will accept those rules or he/she
will be excluded from the group.
If you play with him/her, you are not
my friends
The aggressor gives conditions and
prioritises social relationships in the
group with verbal manipulation, he
repeats his/her conditions before each
activity, to consolidate his/her position.
He/she shall be not invited to
celebrate my (or your) birthday…
The aggressor decides about the
presence of specific members of the
group. If a child, who has birthday,
refuses to obey the aggressor´s rules
he/she will become a victim of hidden
bullying.
Well, and now you have to say about
him/her that ...
The aggressor manipulates the group
members to spread false information
about the victim.
Sh! Silent, come closer to me, I will
tell you something about him/her!
The aggressor uses silent speech
(whispering), "gossiping behind his/her
back" to attract and persuade the group
about his/her “truth“. Often, this ritual
took place by chance near the victim –
he/she can see it.
2 Premises of kindergarten for possible manifestations of
latent aggression
Kindergarten and its premises, it is an area where takes place
hidden bullying and also the hidden (latent) elements which
come from aggressor´s behaviours, but also from the individual
participants of the group, even from the entire group against
the victim.
The aggressor is an important element in hidden bullying
(Kováčová, 2014). He/she acts with the latent aggression
indirectly, with the help of individuals, and groups. The
aggressor directly manipulates the members of the group,
encourages them to verbally disseminate negative backbiting
that are presented by the aggressor as true, and indicative ones.
Aggressor´s goal is to obtain group consent, and support in
hidden bullying against a particular, predetermined person and
to coordinate and direct the group, not to have only "assistants"
but also "silent" approval of the whole group, class. Namely,
aggressor’s strong communication power (which is gradually
enhanced by success) is considered as a pillar in the
development of manipulative latently oriented strategies. The
aggressor tries to differentiate himself from the other members
of the social group with his dominant manners. Aggressor´s
actions are manipulative and his needs are closely linked to the
social processes of approval and recognition within the group,
Grotpeter & Crick (1996) claimed, that aggressors with hidden
aggression are in social and emotional disorder and feel a
higher degree of social loneliness, they have depressive states
and negative perception of their personalities. They are usually
individuals with inappropriate family education or different
negative communicative patterns.
The victim in the process of hidden aggression observes in
his/her space gradual changes in social relations (lack of
opportunities to participate in games, school trips, parties, stays
in nature, etc.). At the beginning, situations are observable as
sporadic, later they are infiltrated into all social contacts. A
stigmatized pupil/child involuntarily loses friends, as well as
social relationships with the group. Victim´s perception of the
problems arises and gradually become more and more serious.
It includes: internalization (anxiety, depressed states),
externalization (aggressive to destructive behaviour), and
adaptation problems with a higher degree of persistence, also in
later and different social communities (Shahaeian, A.,
Razmjoee, M., et al., 2017). The victim feels lonely and, in
extreme cases, his/her action is self-defeating. Friends of the
victims, who are not the direct "members" of hidden bullying
feel desperation, helplessness, and partly as a victim, are
worried that after a time (which they can not identify) they may
also become "target“ of aggressions. There can be any stimulus,
for example if they refuse to act aggressively, or they avoid
being active within a group of aggressors). They usually do not
talk about group behaviour, rather are in position of silent
witnesses with a minimal verbal activity.
3 Research findings with emphasis on hidden aggression in
children's drawings
25 pre-school children from two kindergartens were involved in
the research. After analysing each verbal expression, we selected
those in which the child confirmed the repetition with an
illustrative example. During searching aggressive behaviours, it
is necessary to evaluate the cognitive, behavioural, and
emotional characteristics of the individual group members (note:
we will focus on assessing behavioural characteristics). The
collection of this characteristics is also problematic in the pre-
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