CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1       Background of the study
Schools have always been recognised as an institution for the transfer of knowledge and culture to the future generation. It is a dynamic human system dedicated to the nurturing of mutual growth and understanding between children and adult.
The school is an institution designed for the teaching of students enrolled in it and part of the purpose of the school is to develop the student through knowledge acquisition so that he/she may become a social being. By this, the student is expected to learn how to relate with fellow students, teachers and significant others in the school on the one hand, live in a harmonious way (by blending with societal values) in the society on the other hand. The school is also expected to be a place where students should feel safe and secure, and where they count on being treated with respect. The reality, however seem to be that only few students or pupils can harmoniously with their school mates without experiencing violence in the school.
Human beings are gregarious and social in nature. They hardly live in isolation but prefer to live and interact with one another. The urge to interact creates some challenges, which need to be addressed. Therefore, in order to achieve development, norms are developed to guide human interactions. Although, the norms may vary from one place to the other, there are some commonalities. One of such norms, which promotes friendship and discourages aggressive behaviours is positive interpersonal relationship. However, interpersonal relationship among secondary school students in Nigeria is gradually being threatened by deviant behaviours such as bullying. Bullying has become a source of concern to counsellors, teachers, school administrators and parents due to its adverse effects on relationship among students. Smith (2001) reported that ten percent of children in America indicated that they had ben bullied by other students, but had not bullied others. Another six percent stated that they had been bullied and had also bullied other children. A total of thirteen percent of the students noted thatthey had bullied other students but had not been bullied. Stephenson and Smith (1989), Olweus (1991) and Craig and Pepler (1997) observed that most bullying take place in school and usually encouraged by the audience. The researchers noted that the victims of bully are the most insecure, the least likeable and the most unsuccessful in school. Also, children who are bully-victims appear to be at the greatest risk of adjustment difficulties. Boys and girls are equally likely to report being victimized by bullies. It was found that most bullies have littles or no empathy for their victims and show littles remorse about bullying.
Bullying takes place in social settings with many onlookers aware of the distress caused to victims. Up until relatively recently, most researchers have tended to employ a standard, internationally accepted definition of bullying, and many studies are based on the work of Olweus (1992): ‘A person is being bullied when she or he is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more persons.’ Olweus further argues that bullying involves an imbalance of power. Bullying has various forms, it can be verbal (e.g., name-calling), physical or indirect (e.g., spreading unpleasant rumours) (Olweus 1992). Bullying is thus a complex phenomenon, and despite the generally accepted definition, bullying behaviour has been conceptualized in different ways.  
Olweus (1972) coined bullying as “mobbing,” and defined it as an individual or a group of individuals harassing, teasing, or pestering another person. Bullying and victimization are prevalent problems in the area of adolescent peer relationships.
Experiences with peers constitutes an important developmental context for children and adolescents (Rubin, Bukowski, & Parker, 2006). Children’s experiences with peers occur on several different levels: general interactions with peers, friendships, and in groups. Social competence reflects a child’s capacity to engage successfully with peers at different levels. This section will provide an introduction and overview of friendships, peer groups, and socio-metric status, with attention to developmental changes that occur during childhood and adolescence.