Youth studies find that sixty-six percent of applicable students are teased at least one time each month, while one-third are bullied in the same time frame (Breakstone, Dreiblatt and Dreiblatt, 105). Bullying is a serious epidemic which has been found to have long term effects on the individual, as well as society at large. By taking steps to prevent bullying, it may be possible to improve the environment in which children are raised, resulting in positive effects on their overall well-being. However, in order to implement counter-measures against bullying, it is important to first explore why bullying occurs and why bullying is such a detrement.
It may not seem like much at first. Maybe a few kids are giving another child a rough time during lunch. Maybe they knock books from the hand of an individual in the hall. Perhaps it is just a social snub, a lack of invitation to a weekend party which draws the attention and mockery from those who would be in attendance. But for some, it is not a trivial event. Maybe it isn’t even a one time experience. Could it be a constant barage of pain and feelings of inadequancy due to the taunts of others?
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"The Causes and Effects of Bullying in Schools Across the United States".
As anyone can imagine, the effects of bullying can be quite serious and potentially life-threatening. It is important to note that this is not always the case. Students may be the target of a fleeting, day or two episode of unwanted negative attention, from which there are no long term effects. These would be considered secondary effects when it comes to the consequences of bullying. However, it is equally necessary to point out that this is not always the case and the longer an individual is exposed to bullying, the more likely they are to experience significant and long-term effects from the bullying. A negative feeling about one’s self would understandably arise. This could easily lead to depression and there have been instances in the past where children who have been bullied in school have become so depressed that they actually commit suicide. Some victims of bullying turn their confusion and exasperation outward, becoming angry and prone to episodes of rage. However, there are a number of other, less easily identifiable outcomes that torture victims of bullying.
Anxiety, distrust and self-isolation may also occur as a result of bullying (Rigby, 60). To this extent, an individual who is already feeling ostricized can become even more isolated and cut off from society. They may develop telling characteristics of anxiety, such as nervous habits, bed-wetting or avoidance of eye contact. Such developments can lead to an increase in bullying, which only serves to compound the problem further. “Children’s exposure to violence and maltreatment (including verbal abuse) of others is significantly associated with increased depression, anxiety, anger, post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol abuse” (Garrett, 51). There are also professional consequences to consider. Individuals who are bullied typically exhibit a decreased performance when it comes to school work and has been linked to increased dropout rates (Garrett, 12). This can lead to professional problems later in life, including lack of self-confidence in the workplace (McCarthy, 7). What would cause an individual or group to cause such harm to another schoolmate?
Bullies tend to be aggressive. They are able to manipulate others around them and seek total control of a situation or environment. Most bullying is actually a learned behavior. However, there are those who suffer from control disorders. For these bullies, they are “emotional raw nerves, misreading and misunderstanding any kind of interaction with others and unable to control their own…impulses” (Parsons, 12). Regardless of whether or not their actions are learned or, in rare instances, disordered, Parsons goes on to explain that bullies typically have a need for power. They seek to reject others around them, therefore allowing themselves a sense of empowerment (12-13). By manipulating those around them, sometimes to accomplish a mob mentality around they intended prey, these bullies garner even more power in their own eyes. In many instances, the people around them are reacting out of fear or a desire to not be targeted as well. Nonetheless, it still works to further grate on the individual who is being bullied.
When the bully is the result of learned behavior, there are a few different scenarios which could have occured to mold the individual. Some experience bullying at home. If their home life is suffering, they may turn those experiences out on others. For the most part, this is the bully not wanting to be weak or powerless anymore. For example, if they have a parent that bullies them, they may turn that on someone else so that they are no longer the one who is weak. They achieve what they desire: to have power. To be in control of something outside of their own being. Parsons explains further, “Children can learn to bully in several ways, including being treated with aggression, witnessing acts of aggression, or being rewarded for aggressive behavior” (13). Bullies “intentionally mean to harm someone physically, emotionally or mentally” (Parsons, 13).
By examining the causes of bullying, it is possible to come up with some appropriate counter-measures. These counter-measures can be implemented not only to help the individual, who will hopefully experience less anxiety, depression and self-isolation, but to help society at large as well. Without additional pressures to remove one’s self from the environment of bullying (ie – drop out of school), more individuals will have the opportunity to achieve a more complete education. This could lead to improved career opportunities, work ethics and professional results. To this end, society at large would also be able to benefit.
Counter-measures to consider include those presented by Breakston, Dreiblatt and Dreiblatt in their grade school level guide. There are a number of exercises they have developed in order to help teachers and parents work with students to limit and hopefully prevent bullying. In their work, How to Stop Bullying and Social Aggression: Elementary Grade Lessons and Activities That Teach Empathy, Friendship and Respect, they explore role playing, how to hold discussions to limit bullying, demonstrations to show how hurtful and detrimental bullying can be and written exercises to help children express themselves non-verbally. All of these exercises have precise phrases and objectives which work to educate children about what qualifies as bullying, what to do when bullying takes place and how they as individuals can help stop bullying. These are just some of the many ways in which Breakston, Dreiblatt and Dreiblatt propose to allieviate the problem and they seem like truly educated and well-conceived notions that, when properly implemented in schools, could go a great deal toward the decline of bullying.
- Breakstone, Steve, Michael Dreiblatt, and Karen Dreiblatt. How to Stop Bullying and Social Aggression: Elementary Grade Lessons and Activities That Teach Empathy, Friendship and Respect. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press, 2009. Print.
- Garrett, Anne G.. Bullying in American Schools: Causes, Preventions, Interventions. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2003. Print.
- McCarthy, Paul. Bullying: From Backyard to Boardroom. 2nd ed. Annandale, N.S.W.: The Federation Press, 2001. Print.
- Parsons, Les. Bullied Teacher, Bullied Student: How to Recognize the Bullying Culture in Your School and What to Do About It. Markham, ON: Pembroke Publishers, 2005. Print.
- Rigby, Ken. Bullying in Schools and What to Do About It. Rev. and updated. ed. Camberwell, Vic.: ACER, 2007. Print.
