Are We Born to Bully? Curriculum (EN)

A Curriculum for Understanding How the Brain Creates Conflict

This downloadable curriculum helps young people explore the deeper causes of war and conflict and focuses on how our brains are wired to create division without us even realizing it. Through engaging lessons and interactive activities, students will learn how the mind’s instinctive survival mechanisms can lead to conflict, and how to consciously break free from these ingrained patterns.

Why This Curriculum Matters: Conflict and war are often seen as inevitable, but this curriculum uncovers the surprising truth: much of the conflict we experience is driven by an outdated mechanism in the brain, which unconsciously steers us toward survival-based reactions like aggression and dominance. By understanding these processes, students can develop the awareness needed to stop these automatic responses and contribute to a more peaceful world.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Uncover the Brain’s Role in Conflict: Students will explore how the “old brain”—responsible for basic survival instincts—can create conflict without us even knowing it. This part of the brain often triggers aggression and division as a way to protect ourselves, but it can lead to destructive consequences.
• Recognize Malfunctioning Thought Patterns: The curriculum introduces the idea that our brains have a “mechanical defect” that, much like a short circuit, keeps producing conflict without our conscious awareness. Students will learn to identify these thought patterns and how to redirect them.
• Understand the Early Origins of Conflict: Drawing on research from the University of British Columbia, students will learn how biases, social stratification, and the foundations of bullying can begin as early as infancy and often unconsciously shapes our actions as we grow.
• Develop Tools to Overcome Conflict: By understanding how the brain creates conflict, students will be equipped with strategies to recognize and disrupt these patterns which creates healthier relationships and more peaceful ways of handling disagreements.

Engaging and Interactive Learning Experiences:

• Real-Life Scenarios and Case Studies: The curriculum presents real-world examples and research findings, such as the University of British Columbia study showing that infants as young as nine months old begin to learn social stratification. Students will explore how these early patterns of thinking shape later conflicts, from bullying in school to larger societal issues.
• Interactive Activities and Group Discussions: Students will participate in activities that allow them to experience firsthand how their brains react to perceived threats or challenges and how to consciously choose a different response.
• Self-Reflection and Role-Playing: Through role-playing and reflective exercises, students will practice recognizing when their own thoughts are steering them toward conflict and develop strategies for redirecting those instincts toward cooperation and understanding.

A Resource for Educators, Parents, and Counselors: This curriculum is a valuable tool for educators, parents, and counselors seeking to teach young people about the roots of conflict and how to break free from automatic, unconscious patterns of aggression. It provides structured, age-appropriate lessons that can be easily integrated into classrooms, workshops, or group settings, promoting thoughtful discussions and lasting learning.

Key Features:

• Age-Appropriate and Insightful: Developed for young learners, the curriculum uses simple, relatable language and interactive exercises to explain complex concepts about the brain and conflict.
• Downloadable and Flexible: Available as a downloadable PDF, this curriculum can be easily implemented in various educational settings, from classrooms to at-home learning environments.
• Scientific Foundations: Backed by research, this curriculum draws from studies on social behavior and cognitive development and provides students with a solid understanding of how conflict forms and evolves from an early age.

Empowering Students to Break the Cycle of Conflict: By helping students understand how their brains are wired for survival and conflict, this curriculum equips them with the knowledge to recognize and challenge these automatic responses. Students will learn how to consciously make choices that lead to peaceful solutions, rather than being driven by unconscious aggression.

Download Today: Help young people explore the roots of conflict and develop the skills to create peace in their lives and communities. Download this curriculum today and give students the tools they need to break free from conditioned thinking, challenge the mechanisms that create conflict, and promote a more compassionate, understanding world.