Excursus: Promotion of Moral Courage for the Prevention of Aggression at School

Bullying at school—understood as repeated aggression towards a person who has difficulty defending themselves—violates social norms and constitutes a fundamental injustice. Bullying, harassing, belittling those weaker than oneself violates fundamental rights of those affected, which is why it is cause for moral courageous behavior on the part of observers. At the same time, bullying often takes place in the presence of other people, who, however, are often reluctant to stand up for the victims. In this context, moral courage is understood as socially courageous, prosocial behavior of standing up for weaker third parties, which is based on universal, democratic values and involves the risk of negative consequences. This contribution deals with why bystanders remain passive instead of showing moral courage to stand up for those affected by bullying and how they can be activated to provide positive support for victims.