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Bullying can be defined as a distinctive pattern of harming and humiliating others deliberately. It is serious issue faced by many people, and if not well taken care of can leave a child living in complete fear. This follows from the fact that it is abusive, destructive, and intolerable to exist either at home or in school. As a matter of fact, bullying can bring about lifelong psychological effects that may require therapy to overcome. In extreme cases, bullying can get so much Into the victim that they may at times choose to take away their own lives Just to escape It.
Generally, no one Is born a bully but life situations turn some people Into bullies out of being helpless or having fallen victims of the same. It is therefore helpful to recognize bullies’ behavior as well as signs of the would-be victims as soon as signs start to show so that immediate help can be extended towards them. However, since bullying takes different forms each day, it is difficult to control it and protect the victims. It is also not clear as to under what motivation bullies carry out their acts or why certain people become easy target of bullies more than others.
This paper focuses on bullying and its effects as well as the psychological aspect behind it. Forms of Bullying Bullying normally consist many different forms of behaviors. It may either be physical, verbal, online, or even in form of Intimidation. Physical bullying Involves any type of physical violence regardless of how small It Is, and makes up about 30% of school bullying. A victim of physical bullying may experience beatings or a simple action of sucking out one’s foot and tripping them. Vellums of verbal bullying on the other hand are called names, teased, made fun of, or even issued with threats of incidents in schools.
On intimidation form of bullying, the bully issues the victim with threats so as to get them do what they want such as give them money or do homework assignments for them. Lastly, online bullying occurs in what we call cyber bullying where victims experience threats of violence and verbal abuse through online social sites with an aim of embarrassing them or hurting their reputation. The Mind off Bully Bullies come from all walks of life, all genders, all cultures, all races, and all ages. Though they do it for varied reasons, bullies have a common trait in that they lack empathy.
They behave dominantly and usually cast blame for the misfortunes in their lives upon others. Apparently, bullies execute their acts without feelings of guilt, shame or hesitation and do not seem to feel the pain they inflict on the victims. Bullies are typically stronger, bigger, older, or more popular, and they seem to use this advantage over their inferior victims. Bullies are much aware of the distress they cause their victims but they, surprisingly, enjoy every bit of it making them feel superior and powerful at any given moment. Others even become bullies in the recess of seeking attention.
To some extent, bullies do not do what they do out of their will. They may be people who are experiencing difficult life situations that they cannot cope with, leaving them feeling disastrous and out of control, thereby becoming bullies in the process. They consider instigating fear on others as a way to gain respect and get themselves surrounded with people and friends who look up to them. If someone feels that they are not valued by their family or their life at home is out of control, they may end up becoming bullies in the process of finding the value in other places.
Basically, bullies have low self-esteem, hence the reason for putting others down to feel better about themselves. Victims of Bullying Though anyone is prone to falling victim, there are some commonalities between those who fall victims since the bullies tend to choose certain type of persons to abuse. Victims of bullying may be bullied due to their achievements, or do not have large circles of friends, or tend to be more serious on important things in life such as work or school.
Generally, the victims have something special about them, which could either be that they wear differently, are shy, wear thick glasses, or are fat. And avian no friends to stick up for them, the victims are continually abused by the bullies making them visibly frightened and even have their esteem lowered. Effects of Bullying Bullying can affect everyone including the bullies themselves, the victims, and bystanders who witness it. It is linked to many negative outcomes that include substance use, impact on mental health, and even suicide.
The consequences can either be short-term or long-term. Effects on the Victim As a result of being bullied, the victims may experience mental or physical health- related issues. As research has it, the victims become more anxious, sad, experience leaping difficulties, low self esteem, headaches, and general tension as compared to their non-bullied peers. Many victims require counseling to come in terms with the bullying and help rebuild their lives owing to the fact that bullying can lead to panic attacks, depression, and physical ailments such as ulcers.
The psychological stress and infections, thereby getting sick more often. More to this, children who are bullied are likely to suffer academically as they start fearing to go to school which is the source of their stress. The bad thing about bullying is that it is continuous and can sat a lifetime in the victim’s mind. In some cases it may be so severe that the victims begin having thoughts of suicide whereby they may end up committing it if not well looked at. And since it lowers their self-esteem, the victims feel isolated and believe they are not even worthy to have friends.
Worse still, some of their friends withdraw from them in the fear of becoming the next target. This further alienates them from the normal world, subjecting them to more and more stress. In the process of wanting to get rid of their anger, the victims may seek someone who is weaker than hem making them their target, and hence turning into bullies also. Effects on the Bullies Bullies are also more likely to experience short-term and long-term effects of their bullying behavior.
Their acts may get them involved in other harmful activities such as vandalizing property or engaging in physical fights. Just like their counterparts, they skip school or even drop out, and can even start abusing alcohol and drug substances eventually becoming hard criminals. The worst part of it is that the bullying behavior continues throughout their adulthood, something that may make hem engage in sexual harassment, child abuse, and domestic violence in the future. Effects on the Witnesses Those who witness the bullying acts are not left out too.
They suffer frustration, fear, and a loss of control. To some extent, they feel guilty about the whole bullying incident especially if they did nothing to help the victim out. In such cases, the bystander may go from having empathy on the victim to thinking that bullying is acceptable. They develop this as a defensive mechanism so that they won’t feel more guilt if they witness such acts in the future. To some extremity, and out of anxiety and tress, they change their attitude towards school as they fear about their safety and security.
Conclusion Bullying is such a serious issue that needs to be overcome with the right treatment. Its effects cannot be overlooked since it can totally change the victim’s life and outlook on the future. And since it has a wide range of effects, this type of behavior needs to be curbed and denounced in the strongest terms possible. To get to the underlying problem, various programs may be implemented that promote cooperation among psychologists or other professionals, and between school staff ND parents.
By addressing bullying, both the victims and bullies will stand a chance to get the help needed and thereby making their life normal. References Barrington, D. P. (1993). Understanding And Preventing Bullying. Crime and Justice, 17, 381. Sleek, P. T. (1993). Bullying: A Preliminary Investigation Of Its Nature And The Effects Of Social Cognition. Early Child Development and Care, 87(1), 47-57. Sutton, J. , Smith, P. K. , & Sweeteners, J. (1999). Bullying And ‘Theory Of Mind’: A Critique Of The ‘Social Skills Deficit’ View Of Anti-Social Behavior. Social Development, 8(1), 117-127.