Main aim of this paper is to deal with bullies in the school environment, however bullies are present in all walks of life and much of what is on here will be transferable outside the school environment. You are not alone. Independent research suggests that bullying is happening to around 1 in 4 people and another statistic places it at 3-14 million students in the US. A bully can be male or female and a colleague of equal or lesser company status or a person in authority. The definitions of a bully are: 1) To treat in an overbearing or intimidating manner. 2) To make (one’s way) aggressively. ) To force one’s way aggressively or by intimidation. 4) To provide persistent, unwelcome behavior. Projection behavior and denial are hallmarks of the serial bully. It is believed by some that bullying is present behind all forms of harassment, discrimination, prejudice, abuse, persecution, conflict and violence. What bullies fear most is exposure and being called publicly to account for their behavior so they can go to great lengths to keep their target (victim) quiet from misdirection when it is reported to using threats of disciplinary action, dismissal, gagging clauses and fear.
Despite the facade that such people put up, bullies have another side to them. What complicates matters is that the bully may not be aware or acknowledge to themselves they very often suffer from one or more of the following: # Low self-confidence # Low self-esteem # Feel insecure # seething with resentment # Bitterness # Hatred # Anger # Envy # Jealousy # Inadequacy # and may have a wide range of prejudices as a vehicle for dumping anger onto others. A person may not always aware that they are bullying, however the outcome of bullying behavior can cause the following conditions in their target. Sleep disorders # Poor self esteem # Lack of ability to cope with even simple chores/homework. # Hypertension # Eating disorders # Nervous conditions # Low morale # Apathy # Depression # Impaired personal relationships # Removal of self from school environment – psychologically, physically (school clinic, Stay home, change school) # Drug Abuse # Self Harm # Suicide (successful or attempted) This list is not complete as there are many conditions bullying can cause in the people it is aimed at.
Bullying behavior can have negative consequences for both the bully and the victim. Studies have shown that boys identified as bullies in middle school were four times as likely as their peers to have more than one criminal conviction by age twenty-four. Children who bully are more likely to engage in other criminal and anti-social behaviors, such as: * Fighting * Vandalism * Truancy * Dropping out of school * Stealing * Smoking * Alcohol/and or drug abuse The stress from being bullied can create problems for children at school.
Students may be fearful of attending school, riding the bus, using the bathroom or being alone in the hallway. This fear and anxiety can make it difficult for the child to focus and engage in the classroom, making learning that much more difficult. Bullying can cause children to experience:fear, depression , loneliness, anxiety, low self-esteem, physical illness, and in some cases even suicidal thoughts. School bullying the psychological scars it can inflict on the victim, even into adulthood is very traumatic.
Kids can become bullies because they want to fit in or perhaps they have a difficult situation at home, so in order to feel better about themselves they inflict misery on someone else. This is why the environment the child has grown up in can determine how he or she behaves and interacts with others. This is not to say that it is completely the family’s fault that their child is bullying a classmate, as there are other factors, such as the need to fit in, that can play a part in their behavior as well.
However, children can really reflect how their parents interact with others, whether it is holding the door open for someone when going into a store, saying ‘thank you’ when someone holds the door open for them or after they receive their meal at a restaurant, or saying ‘excuse me’ in a crowded aisle at a supermarket. Even children seeing their parents participate in gossip about a next-door-neighbor or whoever it may be can affect how they treat others in school, too.
Parents can always tell their children how they SHOULD act, however, if they don’t exactly see their parents living by their words, chances are the kids are not going to do what their parents SAY, but rather how what they see their parents DO. A stable home life and good adult role models can really affect how a child behaves and interacts with others in school and in other places outside of their home and even how he or she will be as an adult. When children do take part in bullying, it can really have an impact on the victim that can last through the rest of their school life and even throughout adulthood.
It can lead to various psychological problems, ranging from depression to bipolar disorder to borderline personality. Bullying can even result in the victim committing suicide, as is shown in the infamous case of Megan Meier, a 13-year-old girl who killed herself because of a MySpace prank. Many schools are attempting to make the effects of bullying more known to students through in-school assemblies, guest speakers, and posters, but what children need most is role models at home, particularly their parents.
Of course, just because a child is a bully does not necessarily mean that the parents are not raising him or her properly, but positive role models, especially parents, play a major part in children’s lives and can have an influence on their behavior. Parents talking with children about how to treat others and how others should be treating them AND being good role models themselves could very well be the most effective tool in the fight against school bullying.
