Fig. 1. Deliberate ignorance of academic bullying and harassment.

Psychological motives for deliberate ignorance of academic bullying and harassment in (a) bystanders and (b) perpetrators. Although perpetrators are depicted here as having a higher status than targets and bystanders (downward bullying), other hierarchical configurations are possible. Less typically, perpetrators may have a similar or lower status than targets, and bystanders may have a similar or higher status than perpetrators. Thus subordinates can also be perpetrators in cases of upward bullying⁸. These hierarchical dynamics are expected to differentially affect the psychological motives for deliberate ignorance.