«It’s Only a Joke!» What is an Offensive Joke among Adolescents?
Research Article
How to Cite
Gulyaev P.R., Titkova V.V., Khodorenko D.K., Tishchenko D.R. «It’s Only a Joke!» What is an Offensive Joke among Adolescents?. Interaction. Interview. Interpretation. 2021. Vol. 13. No. 3. P. 112-129. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/inter.2021.13.3.5 (in Russ.).
Abstract
All of us cannot imagine adolescents' daily communication without humor and making fun of each other. Jokes can help strengthen friendships, smooth out the awkwardness, or maintain status in the group, but sometimes jokes become a means of humiliation and bullying. Despite many studies, determining the demarcation line between comic and aggressive words is quite challenging. This border remains uncertain. This paper aims to identify characteristics in which a joke becomes offensive and can develop into bullying.The article presents the results of a qualitative analysis of 72 interviews with middle and high school students. We identify three situations when a joke is perceived as aggression. Firstly, If a fun statement emphasizes the differences between the adolescent and the group, it makes one feel "inferior" compared to peers. Secondly, the difference in statuses between a speaker and an interlocutor exists, leading to no reply to a joke using a joke. In that case, the joke ceases to be a part of the dialogue and becomes a means of reinforcing inequality. Thirdly, if not all participants are aware of "the rules of the game," they cannot understand the context of reading the joke. That means the statement is interpreted in different ways by the parties, leading to resentment. The findings can help design effective bullying prevention measures in the school environment.
Keywords:
communication, jokes, humor, aggression, bullying, adolescents
References
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Brauer K., Proyer R.T. (2020) Is It Me or the Circumstances? Examining the Relationships between Individual Differences in Causal Attributions and Dispositions toward Ridicule and Being Laughed at. Personality and Individual Differences. Vol. 165. P. 110–135. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110135
Brewer W.F. (2000) Bartlett's Concept of the Schema and Its Impact on Theories of knowledge Representation in Contemporary Cognitive Psychology. In: Saito A. (ed.) Bartlett, Culture and Cognition. London: Routledge. P. 69–89. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203457504_chapter_six
Chiang Y.C., Lee C.Y., Wang H.H. (2016) Effects of Classroom Humor Climate and Acceptance of Humor Messages on Adolescents’ Expressions of Humor. Child & Youth Care Forum. Vol. 45. No. 4. P. 543–569. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-015-9345-7
Dietrich L., Hofman J. (2020) Exploring Academic Teasing: Predictors and Outcomes of Teasing for Making Mistakes in Classrooms. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth. Vol. 25. No. 1. P. 113–125. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1598449
Douglas D.M. (2000) Chistota i opasnost': Analiz predstavleniy ob oskvernenii i tabu [Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo]. Transl. from Eng. by R. Gromovoy, Ed. by S. Ban'kovskaya. Moscow: Kanon-Press-TS, Kuchkovo pole. (In Russ.)
Dowling J.S. (2014) School-Age Children Talking about Humor: Data from Focus Groups. Humor. Vol. 27. No. 1. P. 121–139. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/humor-2013-0047
Elster J. (2011) Ob’yasnenie sotsial’nogo povedeniya: Eshche raz ob osnovakh sotsial’nykh nauk [Explaining Social Behavior: More Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences]. Transl. from Eng., Ed. by A. Smirnov. Moscow: Id. dom VShE. (In Russ.)
Feragen K.B., Stock N.M. (2016) A Longitudinal Study of 340 Young People with or without a Visible Difference: The Impact of Teasing on Self-Perceptions of Appearance and Depressive Symptoms. Body Image. Vol. 16. P. 133–142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.01.003
Fine G.A., De Soucey M. (2005) Joking Cultures: Humor Themes as Social Regulation in Group Life. Humor. Vol. 18. No. 1. P. 1–22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/humr.2005.18.1.1
Fox C.L., Hunter S.C., Jones S.E. (2015) The Relationship between Peer Victimization and Children's Humor Styles: It's No Laughing Matter! Social Development. Vol. 24. No. 3. P. 443–461. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12099
Garandeau C.F., Salmivalli C. (2019) Can Healthier Contexts Be Harmful? A New Perspective on the Plight of Victims of Bullying. Child Development Perspectives. Vol. 13. No. 3. P. 147–152. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12331
Goffman E. (2000) Predstavleniye sebya drugim v povsednevnoy zhizni [The presentation self in every day life]. Transl. from Eng. by A.D. Kovalev. M.: Kanon-Press-TS, Kuchkovo pole. (In Russ.)
Hunter S.C., Fox C.L., Jones S.E. (2016) Humor Style Similarity and Difference in Friendship Dyads. Journal of Adolescence. Vol. 46. P. 30–37. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.10.015
Janhonen K. (2017) The Roles of Humour and Laughter in Youth Focus Groups on School Food. Journal of Youth Studies. Vol. 20. No. 9. P. 1127–1142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2017.1311404
Jimerson S.R., Swearer S.M., Espelage D.L. (eds.) (2009) Handbook of Bullying in Schools: An International Perspective. New York: Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203864968
Jones D.C., Newman J.B., Bautista S. (2005) A Three‐Factor Model of Teasing: The Influence of Friendship, Gender, and Topic on Expected Emotional Reactions to Teasing during Early Adolescence. Social Development. Vol. 14. No. 3. P. 421–439. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2005.00309.x
Keltner D. et al. (2001) Just Teasing: A Conceptual Analysis and Empirical Review. Psychological Bulletin. Vol. 127. No. 2. P. 229–248. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.127.2.229
Klein D.N., Kuiper N.A. (2006) Humor Styles, Peer Relationships, and Bullying in Middle Childhood. Humor. Vol. 19. No. 4. P. 383–404. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/humor.2006.019
Kohlmann C.W. et al. (2018) Fear of Being Laughed at in Children and Adolescents: Exploring the Importance of Overweight, Underweight, and Teasing. Frontiers in Psychology. Vol. 9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01447
Kraus M.W. et al. (2014) Teasing, Taunting, and the Politics of Politeness: High Sociometric Status Is Associated with Expectation-Consistent Behavior. PloS one. Vol. 9. No. 8. P. e104737. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0104737
Kuiper N.A. et al. (2014) Humor Styles and the Intolerance of Uncertainty Model of Generalized Anxiety. Europe’s Journal of Psychology. Vol. 10. No. 3. P. 543–556. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v10i3.752
Lee C.H. (2011) An Ecological Systems Approach to Bullying Behaviors among Middle School Students in the United States. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Vol. 26. No. 8. P. 1664–1693. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260510370591
Magin P. et al. (2008) Experiences of Appearance‐Related Teasing and Bullying in Skin Diseases and Their Psychological Sequelae: Results of a Qualitative Study. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences. Vol. 22. No. 3. P. 430–436. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6712.2007.00547.x
Mills C.B. (2018) Child’s Play or Risky Business? The Development of Teasing Functions and Relational Implications in School-Aged Children. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Vol. 35. No. 3. P. 287–306. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407516683557
Mills C.B., Carwile A.M. (2009) The Good, the Bad, and the Borderline: Separating Teasing from Bullying. Communication Education. Vol. 58. No. 2. P. 276–301. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520902783666
Mulvey K.L., Palmer S.B., Abrams D. (2016) Race‐Based Humor and Peer Group Dynamics in Adolescence: Bystander Intervention and Social Exclusion. Child Development. Vol. 87. No. 5. P. 1379–1391. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12600
Nowakowski M.E., Antony M.M. (2013) Reactions to Teasing in Social Anxiety. Cognitive Therapy and Research. Vol. 37. No. 6. P. 1091–1100. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-013-9551-2
Olweus D. (1994) Bullying at School: Basic Facts and Effects of a School Based Intervention Program. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Vol. 35. No. 7. P. 1171–1190. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1994.tb01229.x
Postigo S. et al. (2019) What Do Adolescents Say about Bullying? Annals of Psychology. Psychology, Healthy Medicine. Vol. 22. No. 1. P. 240–253.
Rigby K. (2007) Bullying in Schools and What to Do about It. Camberwell: ACER Press.
Rosen L.H., Scott S.R., DeOrnellas K. (2017) An Overview of School Bullying. Bullying in School. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. P. 1–22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59298-9_1
Shapiro J.P., Baumeister R.F., Kessler J.W. (1991) A Three-Component Model of Children's Teasing: Aggression, Humor, and Ambiguity. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. Vol. 10. No. 4. P. 459–472. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.1991.10.4.459
Shaw J. (2010) Philosophy of Humor. Philosophy Compass. Vol. 5. No. 2. P. 112–126. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-9991.2009.00281.x
Smit B. (2018) Understanding Bullying Relationally. South African Journal of Education. Vol. 38. No. 1. P. 1–8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v38ns1a1586
Smith H. et al. (2009) Teachers' Perceptions of Teasing in Schools. Journal of School Violence. Vol. 9. No. 1. P. 2–22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220903185522
Søndergaard D.M. (2018) The Thrill of Bullying. Bullying, Humour and the Making of Community. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour. Vol. 48. No. 1. P. 48–65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jtsb.12153
Sulkowski M.L. et al. (2014) An Investigation into How Students Respond to Being Victimized by Peer Aggression. Journal of School Violence. Vol. 13. No. 4. P. 339–358. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2013.857344
Bollmer J.M. et al. (2003) Taking Offense: Effects of Personality and Teasing History on Behavioral and Emotional Reactions to Teasing. Journal of Personality. Vol. 71. No. 4. P. 557–603. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.7104003
Brauer K., Proyer R.T. (2020) Is It Me or the Circumstances? Examining the Relationships between Individual Differences in Causal Attributions and Dispositions toward Ridicule and Being Laughed at. Personality and Individual Differences. Vol. 165. P. 110–135. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110135
Brewer W.F. (2000) Bartlett's Concept of the Schema and Its Impact on Theories of knowledge Representation in Contemporary Cognitive Psychology. In: Saito A. (ed.) Bartlett, Culture and Cognition. London: Routledge. P. 69–89. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203457504_chapter_six
Chiang Y.C., Lee C.Y., Wang H.H. (2016) Effects of Classroom Humor Climate and Acceptance of Humor Messages on Adolescents’ Expressions of Humor. Child & Youth Care Forum. Vol. 45. No. 4. P. 543–569. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-015-9345-7
Dietrich L., Hofman J. (2020) Exploring Academic Teasing: Predictors and Outcomes of Teasing for Making Mistakes in Classrooms. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth. Vol. 25. No. 1. P. 113–125. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1598449
Douglas D.M. (2000) Chistota i opasnost': Analiz predstavleniy ob oskvernenii i tabu [Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo]. Transl. from Eng. by R. Gromovoy, Ed. by S. Ban'kovskaya. Moscow: Kanon-Press-TS, Kuchkovo pole. (In Russ.)
Dowling J.S. (2014) School-Age Children Talking about Humor: Data from Focus Groups. Humor. Vol. 27. No. 1. P. 121–139. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/humor-2013-0047
Elster J. (2011) Ob’yasnenie sotsial’nogo povedeniya: Eshche raz ob osnovakh sotsial’nykh nauk [Explaining Social Behavior: More Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences]. Transl. from Eng., Ed. by A. Smirnov. Moscow: Id. dom VShE. (In Russ.)
Feragen K.B., Stock N.M. (2016) A Longitudinal Study of 340 Young People with or without a Visible Difference: The Impact of Teasing on Self-Perceptions of Appearance and Depressive Symptoms. Body Image. Vol. 16. P. 133–142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.01.003
Fine G.A., De Soucey M. (2005) Joking Cultures: Humor Themes as Social Regulation in Group Life. Humor. Vol. 18. No. 1. P. 1–22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/humr.2005.18.1.1
Fox C.L., Hunter S.C., Jones S.E. (2015) The Relationship between Peer Victimization and Children's Humor Styles: It's No Laughing Matter! Social Development. Vol. 24. No. 3. P. 443–461. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12099
Garandeau C.F., Salmivalli C. (2019) Can Healthier Contexts Be Harmful? A New Perspective on the Plight of Victims of Bullying. Child Development Perspectives. Vol. 13. No. 3. P. 147–152. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12331
Goffman E. (2000) Predstavleniye sebya drugim v povsednevnoy zhizni [The presentation self in every day life]. Transl. from Eng. by A.D. Kovalev. M.: Kanon-Press-TS, Kuchkovo pole. (In Russ.)
Hunter S.C., Fox C.L., Jones S.E. (2016) Humor Style Similarity and Difference in Friendship Dyads. Journal of Adolescence. Vol. 46. P. 30–37. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.10.015
Janhonen K. (2017) The Roles of Humour and Laughter in Youth Focus Groups on School Food. Journal of Youth Studies. Vol. 20. No. 9. P. 1127–1142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2017.1311404
Jimerson S.R., Swearer S.M., Espelage D.L. (eds.) (2009) Handbook of Bullying in Schools: An International Perspective. New York: Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203864968
Jones D.C., Newman J.B., Bautista S. (2005) A Three‐Factor Model of Teasing: The Influence of Friendship, Gender, and Topic on Expected Emotional Reactions to Teasing during Early Adolescence. Social Development. Vol. 14. No. 3. P. 421–439. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2005.00309.x
Keltner D. et al. (2001) Just Teasing: A Conceptual Analysis and Empirical Review. Psychological Bulletin. Vol. 127. No. 2. P. 229–248. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.127.2.229
Klein D.N., Kuiper N.A. (2006) Humor Styles, Peer Relationships, and Bullying in Middle Childhood. Humor. Vol. 19. No. 4. P. 383–404. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/humor.2006.019
Kohlmann C.W. et al. (2018) Fear of Being Laughed at in Children and Adolescents: Exploring the Importance of Overweight, Underweight, and Teasing. Frontiers in Psychology. Vol. 9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01447
Kraus M.W. et al. (2014) Teasing, Taunting, and the Politics of Politeness: High Sociometric Status Is Associated with Expectation-Consistent Behavior. PloS one. Vol. 9. No. 8. P. e104737. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0104737
Kuiper N.A. et al. (2014) Humor Styles and the Intolerance of Uncertainty Model of Generalized Anxiety. Europe’s Journal of Psychology. Vol. 10. No. 3. P. 543–556. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v10i3.752
Lee C.H. (2011) An Ecological Systems Approach to Bullying Behaviors among Middle School Students in the United States. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Vol. 26. No. 8. P. 1664–1693. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260510370591
Magin P. et al. (2008) Experiences of Appearance‐Related Teasing and Bullying in Skin Diseases and Their Psychological Sequelae: Results of a Qualitative Study. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences. Vol. 22. No. 3. P. 430–436. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6712.2007.00547.x
Mills C.B. (2018) Child’s Play or Risky Business? The Development of Teasing Functions and Relational Implications in School-Aged Children. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Vol. 35. No. 3. P. 287–306. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407516683557
Mills C.B., Carwile A.M. (2009) The Good, the Bad, and the Borderline: Separating Teasing from Bullying. Communication Education. Vol. 58. No. 2. P. 276–301. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520902783666
Mulvey K.L., Palmer S.B., Abrams D. (2016) Race‐Based Humor and Peer Group Dynamics in Adolescence: Bystander Intervention and Social Exclusion. Child Development. Vol. 87. No. 5. P. 1379–1391. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12600
Nowakowski M.E., Antony M.M. (2013) Reactions to Teasing in Social Anxiety. Cognitive Therapy and Research. Vol. 37. No. 6. P. 1091–1100. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-013-9551-2
Olweus D. (1994) Bullying at School: Basic Facts and Effects of a School Based Intervention Program. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Vol. 35. No. 7. P. 1171–1190. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1994.tb01229.x
Postigo S. et al. (2019) What Do Adolescents Say about Bullying? Annals of Psychology. Psychology, Healthy Medicine. Vol. 22. No. 1. P. 240–253.
Rigby K. (2007) Bullying in Schools and What to Do about It. Camberwell: ACER Press.
Rosen L.H., Scott S.R., DeOrnellas K. (2017) An Overview of School Bullying. Bullying in School. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. P. 1–22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59298-9_1
Shapiro J.P., Baumeister R.F., Kessler J.W. (1991) A Three-Component Model of Children's Teasing: Aggression, Humor, and Ambiguity. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. Vol. 10. No. 4. P. 459–472. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.1991.10.4.459
Shaw J. (2010) Philosophy of Humor. Philosophy Compass. Vol. 5. No. 2. P. 112–126. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-9991.2009.00281.x
Smit B. (2018) Understanding Bullying Relationally. South African Journal of Education. Vol. 38. No. 1. P. 1–8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v38ns1a1586
Smith H. et al. (2009) Teachers' Perceptions of Teasing in Schools. Journal of School Violence. Vol. 9. No. 1. P. 2–22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220903185522
Søndergaard D.M. (2018) The Thrill of Bullying. Bullying, Humour and the Making of Community. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour. Vol. 48. No. 1. P. 48–65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jtsb.12153
Sulkowski M.L. et al. (2014) An Investigation into How Students Respond to Being Victimized by Peer Aggression. Journal of School Violence. Vol. 13. No. 4. P. 339–358. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2013.857344
Article
Received: 28.05.2021
Accepted: 29.09.2021
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APA
Gulyaev, P. R., Titkova, V. V., Khodorenko, D. K., & Tishchenko, D. R. (2021). «It’s Only a Joke!» What is an Offensive Joke among Adolescents?. Interaction. Interview. Interpretation, 13(3), 112-129. https://doi.org/10.19181/inter.2021.13.3.5
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