The Future of Bullying

Bullying continues to remain a major issue within schools today. How it will progress over time, and what we will have to do to help stop it, will be challenging as children learn to use new technology and find better ways to hide their behaviors. The stronger grasp we have on understanding this social problem, the better off we will be to help diminish this behavior. While it would be helpful to predict the future of school bullying, we all know this is not possible. However, looking at the history of this problem, how it has progressed, and what is being done to help the issue, we may be able to steer ourselves in the right direction. 

Understanding what the future holds for issues of school bullying would allow us to act proactively to stop this issue by implementing programs and directing our efforts to the areas which need the most attention.  Because the future cannot be predicted, we have to rely on what history has shown us about bullying, along with being familiar with where the issue currently stands.

Over time, we have seen issues of bullying, especially school bullying, greatly increase. In the 18th century bullying was not recognized as an issue and was viewed as a regular and unavoidable part of growing up. It was not until the late 19th and into the 20th century where peer-on-peer harassment was first widely recognized as not only an issue, but a major social problem that needed to be fixed.  Currently, due to research, we now hold a better understanding of what this problem entails. Instead of just realizing bullying is a problem, we can now identify who these perpetrators are and why they are bullying others. We can also predict possible correlations between the home environment and the person who bullies others;  and use that information to explain their behaviors. We also now understand who victims of bullying are, and others who contribute to this issue. With a combination of these findings, we may be able to more effectively address the issue of bullying among adolescents.  

History shows that school bullying continues to increase, including, both the amount of people who are affected by bullying, and the severity of the methods being used. These aggressive behaviors are becoming more violent than ever before. Recently to address these actions, legislation began to fight against these violent behaviors through establishing new laws that prohibit bullying within schools (Smith, 2012). These new laws have forced schools throughout the United States to establish policies within their districts that address bullying among children. However, just when school administrators may have thought school bullying was at its worst, a new dynamic was thrown into the mix.

There has been a major shift taking place regarding how kids bully others. Many of us thought face-to-face bullying was bad enough, yet perpetrators of bullying have taken it to the next level by using the internet to prey on others. Whether kids are using popular social media sites, such as Facebook or YouTube, or texting and sending pictures through their cell phones, bullies are now using technology to socially torture their victims. According to Feinberg and Robey (2008), children who are bullied through the internet may suffer more psychological harm then those who experience face-to-face bullying because, “…the hurtful information can be transmitted broadly and instantaneously and can be difficult to eliminate…” (p. 11). Because cyberbullying has become so widely used, some schools have also made laws to address how students are using the internet. Feinberg (2008) suggests that one of the steps schools can take to help this problem diminish is to incorporate cyberbullying laws into school policies that specifically address bullying behaviors. Another important aspect some schools are looking into is holding all parties surrounding each incident of bullying accountable. In the past, only the bully themselves would be punished, yet lately some schools are setting up stricter guidelines that will also hold bystanders and witnesses of bullying incidents accountable.

Marty Mathiesen, Principal at Nevada Union High School, recently shocked his students by equally punishing all parties involved in a violent attack on an innocent school boy. In the locker room, at Nevada Union High School, a smaller sized boy was psychically beaten up as others sat back and videotaped and encouraged the fight (Massie, 2012). Yet, after Mathiesen got wind of this incident, he made it clear that not only the bully, but the students videotaping this fight would be reprimanded (Massie, 2012). This is exactly what all schools need to do. People who watch these violent acts are the ones fueling the fire. Holding bystanders accountable for these actions along with the bullies, may help stop incidents like these from happening at school; however, parents need to closely watch and be held accountable for what their children are doing outside of school.

By understanding where the issue of bullying currently stands, along with what has already been done to help stop it, we can now try and predict what the future for bullying holds. Taking a glance over history and how bullying has progressed, it seems that this issue will continue to expand. With the new technology that is underway, along with what is currently booming, attempting to stop children from harassing others seems impossible. What makes catching these behaviors so difficult are the many venues that are used to pick on others including, “…email, text, chat rooms, mobile phones, mobile phone cameras, and web sites (Campbell, 2005, p 3).   Trying to keep up with current technology, let alone trying to identify bullying behaviors, can be very overwhelming. That said, the more that administrators go searching to find what their students are up to, the more these behaviors will be hidden. One of the unintended and unidentified consequences of trying to put pressure on kids who bully others is that they will just use other means to harass their peers.

Looking at the major groups of kids who are bullied today we see that many of these children are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transsexual. As time goes on, these findings may diminish because people are becoming more excepting of individuals who identify as such.  People within legislation know that in order to make a positive difference in schools, they must look at these issues with a rested pair of eyes so they can clearly see what areas to target to obtain the best results. Yet, even with the intervention programs or educational guidance they are giving to students and parents, it does not address the issues that trigger this behavior in the first place. What administrators should do in addition to their current efforts, is pay more attention to not just the victim of bullying, but the bully themselves. Victims of bullying need to be attended to, but in order to truly help stop this behavior from happening in the first place, we have to understand why these children are acting out. This will take some critical thinking, but to pull together a constructive way to address issues that may be taking place in a child’s home, may ultimately help solve issues at school and in their families. When a child receives this kind of support they will have the tools they need to help them make better decisions and handle difficult situations that they are faced with (Feinberg, 2008, p. 10)

All in all, it would be naive to say that school bullying will completely stop. Even with the collection of programs, laws, and efforts to stop this, bullying will always be a major issue within our school systems. However, the most important factor to help the bullying issue among adolescents is for administrations to strictly enforce anti-bullying rules while gaining all the support they can get from the communities. With schools taking ownership of this growing problem and persistently pushing forward to make a difference, they will be moving in the right direction to help bring  peace and safety back to the school yards.

References:

Campbell, Marilyn A. (2005) Cyber bullying: An old problem in a new guise? Australian Journal of Guidance and Counseling, 15(1), pp. 68-76.

Feinberg, T., Robey, N. (2008, September). Cyberbullying: Whether it happens at school of off-campus, cyberbullying disrupts and affects all aspects of students’ lives. Principal Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.nasponline.org/resources/principals/Cyberbulling%20NASSP%209-08.pdf 

Massie, K., (2012). Grass Valley students disciplined after posting fight on YouTube: New10/ABC. Retrieved from http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=110769

Smith-Ferrell, F., (2012). Tackling the Schoolyard Bully: Combining Policy Making with Prevention. National Conference of State Legislature. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/human-services/tackling-the-schoolyard-bully-combining-policy-ma.aspx.

The Truth about Bullying

Bullying is a complex social issue that is often misunderstood.  To some, kids teasing and pestering one another may be viewed as normal behavior. Many people know schoolboys like to play rough, while girls like talk and catch up on the latest news. Should this be considered innocent horseplay and good conversation or are they intentionally hurtful behaviors and destructive gossip sessions? While bullying may appear fairly simplistic, after careful examination of key associations between children who bully, victims, and environmental factors the evidence reveals a much more complex social issue.

In general, most people have a negative perception towards individuals who repeatedly hurt others. Children viewed this way are known as school bullies because they thrive from inflicting fear and pain in others. While it is easy to create resentment towards these individuals, it may be more beneficial to look past these initial actions and narrow in on the root cause of this behavior. Doctor Robin Goodman, a clinical psychologist specializing in bereavement issues, states kids who tend to victimize others generally experience issues of depression and anger, are impulsive, and believe being aggressive towards others is acceptable (2012). Doctor Goodman also asserts many kids who torment others tend to lack self confidence, feeling of belonging at school, and desires for school in general (2012). Here, it is easy to see that the personas bullies try to portray are the opposite from the truth. In fact, many students harass others so they can avoid being picked on themselves. Even unintentionally, these children attempt to make up for what they are missing in their own lives by mistreating others. Deliberately hurting their peers awards them the attention they desire to gain social acceptance, confidence, and a sense of belonging.

There are also many correlations between the types of children who become the victims of bullying. The characteristics of these children are simplistic and easily identifiable. The Hawker and Boulton meta-analysis (2000) found that victims of bullying tend to have symptoms of anxiety, depression, and low self-concept. Many victims are known to be rejected by their peers, lack social skills, and have poor friendships (Card, Stucky, Sawalani, and Little, 2008).  In addition, youth with disabilities or who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender are main targets for this discrimination (Kosciw & Greytak, 2009). Children who possess these characteristics are seen as easy targets because they are misunderstood and are differently viewed from others.

While school aged children may be young they do have an understanding of how their behavior affects others. Bullies have an understanding of victimization and who they should and should not victimize. They prey on individuals who will not stand up to them and who are submissive to their demands. Having the courage to stickup for oneself would be very challenging, particularly for victims who have felt this depression and low self-worth for so long.

There are key environmental factors in a child’s home that can play an important role in their participation in school bullying. According to Goodman (2012), children have a higher chance of becoming a perpetrator of bullying when their parents are authoritarian, use physical or verbal violence as coercion, and remain emotionally removed. Whereas victims of bullying may experience parents who cannot understand their struggles, are controlling, and give them little freedom to learn new things in life (Papanikolaou, Chatzikosma, & Kleio, 2011).  Research also shows that victims may come from “over-protected” or “enmeshed” families, making it difficult for them to gain life experience (Smith, 2004, p. 100). In addition, a child’s roll as a victim or bully increases when a child’s behavior is continuously corrected by their parents without explanation (Papanikolaou et al., 2011). How a child is raised and the environment they grow up in greatly effects their life because it provides them with a basic foundation of how to behave and how to treat others. Regardless of a child’s role in bullying, it is important to look at both the behaviors and situation, but also other factors that could be triggering this behavior.

Over the years studies have revealed the truth behind bullying. At one time, this behavior was not understood, yet over the years more information has been discovered helping us to learn more about it. School bullying is a complex issue because many factors contribute to an individual’s involvement. Attempting to uncover the reasons why is challenging because they may stem from within the home, which may be almost impossible to manage. Frequently it is viewed that the victims of acts of bullying are the only people who need support. This is not the case, in fact both parties involved need support to identify and unravel this complex social issue.

 

References:

Card, N. A., Stucky, B. D., Sawalani, G. M. and Little, T. D. (2008). Direct and Indirect Aggression During Childhood and Adolescence: A  Meta-Analytic Review of Gender Differences, Intercorrelations, and Relations to Maladjustment. Child Development, 79: 1185–1229.

Goodman R. F. (2012). Bullies: More Than Sticks, Stones, and Name Calling: NYU Child Study Center. Retrieved from http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/bullies_more_sticks_stones_name_calling
 
Hawker, D. S. J. & Boulton, M. J. (2000). Twenty Years' Research on Peer Victimization and Psychosocial Maladjustment: A Meta-analytic Review of Cross-sectional Studies. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41, 441–455.

Kosciw, J. G., Greytak, E. A., & Diaz, E. M. (2009). Who, what, where, when, and why: Demographic and ecological factors contributing to hostile school climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38(7), 976-988. (This is APA)

Papanikolaou, M., Chatzikosma, T., Kleio, K. (2011). Bullying at School: The role of the family. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 29, 433-442.

Smith, P. K. (2004). Bullying: Recent Developments. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 9 (3), 98-103.