The Under-Appreciated Role of Humiliation in the Middle School

This article reflects the following This We Believe characteristics: An inviting, supportive, and safe environment — School-wide efforts and policies that foster health, wellness, and safety — Multifaceted guidance and support services In his book The World is Flat, Friedman (2005) argued that we have under-appreciated the role that humiliation plays in terrorism. He notes that the reaction humans have when they are humiliated is significant and often severe. If it is true, that humiliation plays a role in terrorism, what role might this under-appreciated emotion play in middle school? If terrorists act, in part, based on humiliation, how do middle school students act when they experience this emotion? To answer these questions, we interviewed 10 middle school teachers and 10 students. We asked them about times they (or their students or peers) were humiliated and what happened. In each case, they were surprised t