Why Are People Mean? The Four Motivations Behind Social Aggression

by Jeff Veley | Sep 21, 2026 | Bullying Prevention, Social and Emotional Learning, Teaching Advice

There are only four reasons why people are mean. Once you know the motivation, it becomes much easier to figure out how to stop the behavior. Through SQUABBLES®, I teach students how to identify what we call the Meanness Motivation behind aggressive behavior. Instead...

5 Reasons Your School’s Bullying Prevention Strategy Isn’t Working

by Jeff Veley | Sep 21, 2026 | Articles/Interviews, Bullying Prevention, Teaching Advice

Most educators and students are tired of bullying prevention programs. After all, they’ve been mostly hearing the same advice for decades. The modern American anti-bullying movement caught fire following the Columbine massacre in Littleton, Colorado, in 1999. Since...