Para além das notas: a vivência musical como catalisadora da empatia e fator de proteção ao bullying

Abstract

The escalation of school violence and the persistence of bullying in the contemporary educational landscape demand preventive strategies that transcend punitive measures, focusing instead on socio-emotional development. This dissertation investigates the influence of musical experience (vivência musical) on the mitigation of bullying perpetration, analyzing the role of empathy in its cognitive and affective dimensions as a mediating mechanism in this relationship. A quantitative, cross-sectional, and explanatory design was adopted, with a sample of 527 high school students from the Federal Institute of Minas Gerais (IFMG) - Ouro Preto Campus. Data were collected using the Brief Music Experience Questionnaire (Brief-MEQ), the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), and the Bullying Behavior Scale (ECB). Data analysis, performed via Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), revealed that musical experience alone does not have a significant direct effect on reducing bullying (p = -0.01). However, a double parallel mediation model was confirmed: musical experience acts as a positive predictor of both Perspective Taking (Cognitive Empathy) and Empathic Concern (Affective Empathy), variables which, in turn, significantly inhibit aggressive behaviors. Notably, Empathic Concern emerged as a robust protective factor, especially for male students, suggesting that music may mitigate the effects of gender socialization associated with aggression. It is concluded that music education should not be understood merely as an aesthetic activity, but as a social and affective technology capable of humanizing school relationships, promoting empathy as an antidote to the culture of violence.