Exploring the Emotional Impact of Bullying: Insights from the Empty Chair Technique

Abstract

Bullying in schools is repeated, intentional behavior where a student uses aggression, intimidation, or exclusion to harm, dominate, or humiliate another student. The empty chair technique is a therapeutic exercise used in Gestalt therapy, developed by Fritz Perls. It involves the client imagining a person, aspect of themselves, or situation represented by an empty chair and engaging in a conversation as if the entity were present. This technique is important because it helps clients explore unresolved emotions, gain insights, and develop self-awareness by externalizing internal conflicts. To practice it, the therapist guides the client to speak to the empty chair, then switch roles by moving to the chair and responding from the perspective of the imagined entity. This study investigates the emotional experiences of twelve students who endured bullying during their primary school years, using the empty chair technique as a therapeutic intervention. The research explores participants’ feelings, coping mechanisms, and retrospective reflections on their bullying experiences. The findings illuminate the psychological effects of bullying and offer insights into the potential of the empty chair technique as a means of fostering emotional expression and healing. Implications for educators, therapists, and policymakers are discussed.