Why do many good children treat one another so badly? Carl Pickhardt will tackle that question in this public lecture. Pickhardt, an author and psychologist, coined the term "social cruelty," which is antisocial behavior that serves a social purpose. His work with adolescents has shown that bullying and other behaviors often exist in "good kids" and that it's important to know why these behaviors are engaged.

His work is relevant to parents, teachers and community leaders who work to address issues of social cruelty — teasing, exclusion, bullying, rumoring and ganging up. Pickhardt has advice for all those targeted and for those engaging in these behaviors.

Pickhardt's work was influential in the creation of Holocaust Museum Houston's All Behaviors Count program, which addresses these issues. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Harvard University, and earned his doctorate from the University of Texas in Austin. Pickhardt's books include Why Good Kids Act Cruel: The Hidden Truth about the Pre-Teen Years, Stop the Screaming and The Future of Your Only Child.