What Is Bullying?

What is Bullying? 1

What is Bullying?

Cassandra Ledbetter

BSHS/325

07/02/2013
Candance Gilchrist

What is Bullying?

What is Bullying? Bullying is when someone repeatedly and on purpose says or does mean or hurtful things to another individual who has a hard time defending themselves. As school counselors, it is very important that you have an understanding if bullying and how it affects students. The widespread and chronic nature of bullying suggests that the influence on children can be short or long term. Studies indicate that bullying experiences are associated with the number of behavioral, emotional and physical adjustments. Adolescents who bully other tend to exhibit other defiant and delinquent behavior, have poor school performance, be more likely to drop out of school, and be more likely to bring weapons to school(e.g. Berthold & Hoover, 2000; Nansel et al., 2003; Nansel et al; 2004, Sarcander, Helstela, Helenius, & piha, 2000 . Victims of bullying tend to report feeling of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and isolation; poor school performance, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. There is evidence that suggest students who are victims of bullying and also perpetrate bullying (i.e., bully victims) may show poor functioning in comparison with either victims or bullies. Behavioral and emotional problems experienced by victims, bullies, and bully victims may continue into adulthood and produce long term negative outcomes, which include low self-esteem and self-worth, depression anti-social behavioral, vandalism, substance abuse and use, criminal behavior, gang membership and suicide ideation (e.g.; Nansel et., 2001; Olweus, 1994). This is why it is so important for us to understand bullying and how it affects human development. There are three components of bully behavior; first, it is aggressive behavior that involves unwanted and negative behavior. Second, bullying typically involves a pattern of repeated behavior over time. Finally, it involves an imbalance of strength and or power. The aggressive behavior is a negative act when someone intentionally inflicts injury or harm upon another person. The student who bullies mean to harm another student in some way or another. This could be by physical actions, by words, or indirectly. For example, by purposely excluding the student from a group or activity. Bullying is usually repeated but there are times when serious hurtful behavior that happens only once. While it is important to understand that bullying happens repeatedly over time, it is not a good idea to wait for a pattern to clearly emerge before intervening if a student has hinted that he or she is being bullied or you suspect the student is being bullied. Most students who are bullied may be too embarrassed to tell an adult because they feel they won’t get the help that they need. Bullying entails a power imbalance; the student who is exposed to the negative actions has trouble defending themselves and is helpless against the students who are doing the bullying. The imbalance in power or strength may be in different ways like the student who is being bullied may be physically weaker or perceive himself or herself as physically or emotionally weaker than the students who are bullying. Or there may be three students bullying just one student. Boys bully more than girls and are more likely to bully victims of the same-sex and repeatedly target the same victim. There are no gender differences in the type of bullying and aggression. Children in the primary and junior grades were equally likely to be involved in bullying and tended to bully students from the same grade level. (Kochenderfer-Ladd & Pelletier, 2008; Olweus, 1993). There is also the sexual orientation of the student that comes into play with bullying. Sexual orientation is any behavior, hidden or obvious, that reinforces negative attitudes towards gay, lesbians, and bi-sexual people. The most common form of this bullying is verbal in nature and includes the use of anti-gay language as insults (e.g. “that’s so gay,” “don’t be such a fag”, anti-gay jokes, and behavior that ridicules gays and lesbians (such as affecting the speech and walk of a stereotypically effeminate gay men to get a laugh). The prevalence of this talk in schools allows homophobic attitudes to develop and grow as students learn this language is tacitly condoned by educators who fail to intervene when it is used. Maybe you as counselors can help in this area because coaches in school, mainly football coaches, still find this language acceptable on the field. Earlier we talked about how many ways bullying can affect the students, but the effects on their self-esteem can be very detrimental. Adolescents who are bullied repeatedly have lower self-esteem and depressive symptoms. Victims of bullying are more likely to feel socially rejected or isolated and to experience greater social marginalization and lower social status. Bullying creates problems with social adjustments and bonding. The victims loose their desire to complete their homework or do well in school. Bullying also seems to increase absenteeism and affect their academic performance all together. The family of the students that are being affected as well, family members experience a number of negative consequences when trying to support their child that is being bullied at school. Parents sometimes experience a lot of fear and worry for their child. For many parents (especially mothers) this leads to feelings of depression, sleepless nights and physical effects such as headaches and illnesses. Mothers try to give advice to their child; they will contact the school to get results sometimes asking help from the school counselor. They try other various ideas to get a solution for the problem and sometime to no avail. This is why it is important that the staff at your schools evaluate their actions and responses to students to make sure they are not participating in bullying themselves. We are aware of the many dangers of bullying and educating all persons involved, directly or indirectly, will decrease this issue we face in our schools and communities.
References
Aalsma, Matthew C and Brown, James R, Journal of Adolescent Health, ISSN 1054-139X, 2008, Volume 43, Issue 2, pp. 101-102
Blazer, C. (2005). Literature review on bullying. Miami: Research Services Office of Accountability and Systemwide Performance Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
Graham, Sandra, Educated Horizons, ISSN 0013-175X, 2011, Volume 89, Issue 2, pp. 12-15, Journal Article
Olweus, Dan, Bullying at school, basic facts and an effective intervention program. Promot Educ 1994; 127-31, 48
Olweus, Dan, Bullying at school: What We Know and What We Can Do (Oxford, England: Blackwell Publishing, 1993)

References: Aalsma, Matthew C and Brown, James R, Journal of Adolescent Health, ISSN 1054-139X, 2008, Volume 43, Issue 2, pp. 101-102 Blazer, C. (2005). Literature review on bullying. Miami: Research Services Office of Accountability and Systemwide Performance Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Graham, Sandra, Educated Horizons, ISSN 0013-175X, 2011, Volume 89, Issue 2, pp. 12-15, Journal Article Olweus, Dan, Bullying at school, basic facts and an effective intervention program. Promot Educ 1994; 127-31, 48 Olweus, Dan, Bullying at school: What We Know and What We Can Do (Oxford, England: Blackwell Publishing, 1993)