Exploring the relationship between personality and bullying; an investigation of parental perceptions

•Perceptions of behaviour as bullying is influenced by personality•Entitlement significantly influences parental perceptions of bullying.•Gen Y evidenced higher levels of entitlement compared to Gen X.•Broader perceptions of bullying relates to increased reporting rates.•Personal experience of bullying has no impact on perceiving behaviour as bullying.

ObjectivesThe current study explored if parents perception of bullying was influenced by the traits of narcissism, emotional intelligence, victim sensitivity and entitlement and also examined the relationship between reporting and perceptions of bullying. This study also examined if narcissism and entitlement differed between Gen Y and Gen X parents.MethodParents of primary school aged children (N = 124) interpreted whether the behaviour in scenarios constituted bullying. Parents responded to questions assessing the four personality variables and reported if their child had experienced bullying.ResultsNarcissism, victim sensitivity and entitlement were associated with the propensity of parents to perceive behaviour as bullying. Furthermore, entitlement was uniquely associated with this propensity. A positive relationship was established between broader perceptions of bullying and the reporting of incidents. As expected the level of entitlement increased over the two generations represented.ConclusionPersonality, particularly the trait entitlement, contributes to the differences in parents' perceptions relating to bullying. The current study suggest the need for future research on the implication of these differences.