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.