The Role of Empathy in Bullying Behavior Among Middle School Students: A Quantitative Correlational Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53915/jbki.v6i2.132Keywords:
Bullying, Empathy, CorrelationalAbstract
School education plays a vital role in enhancing human quality of life. However, schools also face significant issues, such as bullying. Bullying can be defined as the use of power to hurt an individual or group verbally, physically, or psychologically, leaving the victim feeling distressed, traumatized, and powerless. One contributing factor to bullying behavior among students is a lack of empathy toward their peers. Empathy is the ability to sense another person's emotional state, feel sympathy, attempt to solve problems, and see situations from others' perspectives. Students who engage in bullying often exhibit low levels of empathy. This study aims to examine the relationship between the level of empathy and bullying behavior in junior high school using a descriptive quantitative method. Data analysis was conducted using Spearman’s Rank Correlation. The results indicate that empathy significantly influences bullying behavior, with a p-value of 0.000 < 0.05 and a correlation coefficient of r = -0.464. This finding suggests that higher levels of empathy among students are associated with lower incidences of bullying behavior. Empathy serves as a fundamental and essential basis for building relationships, connections, and positive social interactions. Relationships grounded in high empathy tend to be healthier. By fostering high empathy in students, bullying behavior can be prevented through the cultivation of empathetic attitudes in individuals.
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