Moral disengagement in self‐reported and peer‐nominated school bullying

Abstract This study examined the relation between moral disengagement and different self‐reported and peer‐nominated positions in school bullying. The aims of this study were to (1) investigate moral disengagement among children for whom self‐reported and peer‐nominated bully status diverged and (2) compare levels of disengagement among self‐reported and peer‐nominated pure bullies, pure victims, bully–victims, and children not involved in bullying. A sample of 739 Danish sixth grade and seventh grade children (mean age 12.6) was included in the study. Moral disengagement was measured using a Danish version of the Moral Disengagement Scale and bullying was measured using both self‐reports and peer nominations. Results revealed that both self‐reported and peer‐nominated bullying were related to moral disengagement, and that both pure bullies and bully–victims displayed higher moral disengagement than outsiders. Discrepancies between self‐reported and peer‐nominated bullying involvement indicates that a person's social reputation has a stronger association with moral disengagement than so far expected. Implications are discussed, highlighting the importance of further research and theory development. Aggr. Behav. 37:133–144, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.