Dennis Lines is a school counsellor at Shenley Court College in Birmingham and author of the book, ‘The Bullies: Understanding Bullies and Bullying’, published by Jessica Kingsley.

Mr Lines’ research has led him to conclude that many victims have an inherent need to be perceived as victims and deliberately provoke aggressors in an effort to gain recognition from adults.

“It’s patently obvious that bullying isn’t ever justified or right. But if you start from that as a fixed point, you can see the more conventional pattern of bully and victim doesn’t apply in all cases,” Lines said.

“There are some youngsters who have unmet needs, who need to be understood... That might lead them to become a victim in certain circumstances.

“There’s a sort of payback for the victim. For example, lots of adults come rallying to their defence. They get extra support. That can be quite a powerful position to be in.”

At the root of the need to be seen as a victim can be a wish to feel wanted and valued. For example, children who feel consistently overlooked by their parents may feel they do not receive the support they need.

“By being a victim, they get that support,” said Mr Lines. “They have a deep psychological need to get their parents to recognise them.

“In peer-group friendships, they find themselves a little bit outside the main group. So they might set up unconscious processes where they become the victim, as a means of getting support.”

Lines draws parallels between partners of abusive alcoholics and victims of school bullies. While no one consciously enjoys being beaten by a partner or tormented by a bully, each family member nevertheless plays a subtle, unconscious role in the alcoholic’s power games.

Similarly, children who have been bullied may be unconsciously motivated to keep placing themselves in situations where they will be bullied again - perhaps by deliberately provoking known class aggressors.

“No one wants to be a victim, but they’re unable to see that a certain repertoire of behaviour always brings that about as an outcome.”

Essentially, a power game is taking place between the bully and the victim, where each is reliant on the other fulfilling a certain role. Teachers should be aware that bullying can be viewed, not simply as a case of bad versus innocent victim, “but as a game that has an unconscious pay-off for not only the top dog, but the underdog as well”.

Lines questions the effectiveness of the usual anti-bullying practice of punishing the bully while offering support to the victim.

“Rallying to their [victims] defence may not always be the best means of supporting them. It may just reinforce the same behaviours.”

He claims it is often more useful to offer support to the bully.

“Working with the bully should be part of any school’s anti-bullying policy,” he says.

“That’s the real support. And it’s more economical: if you stop their aggressive behaviour, you prevent any future incidents of bullying.”

Meanwhile, here at home the Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan has been accused of "copping out" by failing to introduce phone-blocking technology produced in Ireland to counter mobile phone bullying.

During Question Time in the Dáil, Fine Gael TD Noel Coonan said an Irish company operating from the Digital Hub, with an Enterprise Ireland grant, was travelling "halfway around the world to Singapore" to install Sim cards to deal with the problem.

"It's simple, easily done, urgently required and you're not following it up," he told Minister Ryan.

"The time has come when you must take action, call in the operators and ensure that the technology is used, and put an end to this tremendous and growing problem," Coonan said.

He also called on the Minister to publish a set of "updated anti-bullying guidelines that can be used by the operators in this country because it's 14 years since they have been revisited". (Sources: TES, Irish Times)