Bullying- Effects and Combat Strategies - Report Example

Bullying- Effects and Combat Strategies This paper discusses different facets of bullying behavior and its effects on individuals. First of all an introduction to bullying has been given. Then, how differently girls and boys respond to bullying behavior has been discussed. The healthy consequences of fostering interpersonal and helping relationships among students have been brought into account. What strategies schools can use to help students counter bullying has been discussed. The report is summarized in a concluding paragraph at the end and APA referencing style has been used properly. Introduction What is Bullying? “Insults and threats followed 15-year-old Phoebe Prince almost from her first day at South Hadley High School, targeting the Irish immigrant in the halls, library and in vicious cell phone text messages” (Reitz, 2010). This and many such instants occur in schools and on streets on a daily basis causing individuals to suffer mentally and physically. Bullying is defined as that consistent undesirable attitude (like shouting, mimicking, calling names, threatening, written abuse, forcing to do nasty things, and much more) having traces of unjustifiable and illogical criticism and disapproval which compels the victim to get isolated, humiliated and singled out in crowd. The aim of the bullying person is to gain power over the bullied (see Figure 1). According to Olweus (as cited in Hazelden Foundation, 2010), an individual is said to be bullied when he finds it difficult to protect himself from repeated negative actions from another person or a group of persons. Different Facets of Bullying Bullying can be of various forms. Some of these include: Oral bullying like shouting, calling names and spreading rumors about the victim Written bullying like nasty letters and text messages Physical bullying like kicking, hitting, slapping, punching and pushing Isolating the victim from social gatherings Making the victim do things he does not want to do Making the victim feel ashamed of his race, color, religion and language Sexual harassment is also a facet of bullying Cyber bullying like teasing through nasty emails, chat messages and phone calls School Bullying School bullying involves students bullying their fellow students. Smith and Sharp assert that studies concerning teacher opinion show that school bullying involves “5-10 per cent of children as being bullied and about 5 per cent of children as bullying others” (1994, p. 5). They state that bullying is generally hidden from the school authorities because the bullied students and their peers hesitate in informing their teachers about the bully, and that is why it keeps on going. Bullying students are normally very sociable and bold without any idea of shame or guilt; whereas, the bullied ones are already very shy and unsure which makes them prone to bullying. Effects of Bullying Bullying can have disastrous effects on the bullied person so much so that he may be compelled to commit suicide. A bullied student may suffer from hypertension, freight, loneliness, anxiety, depression, low self-worth, low grades and suicidal attempts. The National Association of School Psychologists (as cited in Shore, p. 5) estimate that “160,000 children miss school every day for fear of being bullied”. Besides bullied students, bullying creates bad effects on the observers of bullying as well. Since, bullying creates a fearful environment in schools, students who watch someone being bullied may tend to turn away from their studies, feel guilty for not stopping it or may even be tempted to participate and support the bullying students. In short, bullying inflicts long lasting adverse effects on the victim and should be considered seriously by school authorities. Male and Female Responses Males and females respond to bullying differently. Roome (2010) asserts that boys, when bullied, tend to detach themselves from social gatherings and become reserved. It becomes important for parents to get to know the reason for this isolation as they confuse it with teenage behavior. Bullied males stick to their rooms and keep silent most of the time. They may also become aggressive at times out of frustration and, to take out this aggression, they may act dominant at home. They may try to hurt themselves physically. Research has shown that when boys react in a non-aggressive manner, they tend to stop bullying; whereas, if they fight back aggressively, that increases bullying. Female victims normally respond emotionally than physically. Their sensitivity to negligible issues increases, at home and at school. They tend to cry more often. They may try to act as a governing person with her siblings. Horne, Newman-Carlson & Bartolomucci (2003, p. 292) state that girls react to bullying in a “helpless manner” which eliminates all chances to stop bullying. They tolerate it which accelerates bullying. Researchers have found that unlike boys, when girls show counter-aggressive behavior and decide to fight back, bullying ceases. Girls are normally taught by their parents to keep their feelings to themselves unlike boys who are taught to fight back. Both behaviors initiate bullying. Parents will have to give this a serious consideration and should make efforts in getting to the reason why the son or daughter is behaving in an abnormal way. Only then, they can help their child fight and avoid bullying. Effect of Fostering Healthy Relationship among Students In order to avoid negativity in the school atmosphere caused by bullying, it is important for the school system to promote interpersonal and helping relationship among its students. Students’ emotional health is vital to stop them bully others or be a victim. They need to be educated about the effects bullying has and how it deteriorates the overall environment of the school. Teachers should deal equally with all students without favoritism. When students are dealt on equal and unbiased basis, they tend to bully less. Also, when they are encouraged to stay in groups sharing kind relationship with peers, there are fewer chances that they get bullied because bullies target at someone who is alone and cannot fight back (Inger, 2010). Being in a group also makes one confident which bullies do not look for. When students know that they can always discuss their problems with their teachers and can always turn to higher authorities for a complaint, they will bring bullying to an end. Teachers should make their best efforts in fostering fruitful relationships among students because this way they will be able to study well to get high grades. According to Swearer, Espelage & Napolitano (2006, p. 6), “when there is positive adult leadership in schools, positive student leadership, and healthy relationships, there is less bullying. It’s not impossible to stop bullying; it just takes a coordinated, intelligent effort”. Students should be taught how to respect one another and that every student, no matter which country, religion or race he belongs to, has got the same rights. Anti-Bullying Strategies for Schools School personnel plays important role in formulating strategies for the prevention of bullying so that students feel willingness to expose bullies. The first strategy is teachers’ training so that they come to know about bullying signs and effects and how to deal with it (Espelage & Swearer, 2004, p. 133). Parent-teacher meetings are a must in order to allow the parents to discuss their children’s behavior with teachers. Schools must adopt policies that counter both direct and indirect bullying by providing instructions to teachers and students how to react with bullying (Thompson, 2006, p. 258). Seminars can be arranged to spread awareness about bullying. Electronic surveillance gear like hidden cameras in classrooms and cafeterias should be used to keep a check. Proper supervision through additional staff must be maintained. Questionnaires and surveys should be conducted with students so that bullying rate can be estimated. Complaint boxes should be arranged so that the victim may drop in a letter if he feels reluctant in talking it out because of fear or threats. Smith (1999, p. 120) writes that Justin Morahan, a teacher, devised a very effective strategy in 1993 which includes three questions to be answered by every student who writes them down on a paper, encloses it in an envelope, seals it and hands it over to the teacher. These questions ask him if he is being bullied, or anyone in his class or school is being bullied. The anti-bullying administrator reads these responses, arranges meetings with the bullies, the victim and his parents. Smith asserts that there are several anti-bullying programs that can be adopted which include The Stay Safe Program, Meitheal and Home/School/Community Liaison Scheme. Conclusion It is important for parents and teachers to stay alarmed at changing behaviors of children in order to prevent bullying which is a serious issue in schools. Bullies should be shown zero tolerance because abusing someone verbally or in any other form is just not acceptable. Bullying tends to deteriorate an individual’s mental state which leads to the deterioration of the society eventually. Schools should adopt effective policies and strategies to counter bullying in order to maintain a healthy educational atmosphere where all students can flourish both mentally and physically. Figure 1: Bullying http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/images/Bullying_Prevention_Program/bully.gif References Espelage, D. & Swearer, S. (2004). Translating research into practice: implications for bullying-prevention and intervention programs. Bullying in American Schools: A Social-Ecological Perspective on Prevention and Intervention. USA: Routledge. HaZELDEN Foundation. (2010). What is bullying? OLWEUS Bullying Prevention Program. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.olweus.org/public/bullying.page Horne, A., Newman-Carlson, D., & Bartolomucci, C. (2003). Gender differences in response effectiveness. Bully Busters: A Teachers Manual for Helping Bullies, Victims, and Bystanders. USA: Research Press. Inger, A. (2010). How to manage school bullies. Suite101.com. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://bullying.suite101.com/article.cfm/how-to-manage-school-bullies Reitz, S. (2010, March 29). 9 charged with bullying Mass. teen who killed self. Associated Press. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100329/ap_on_re_us/us_school_bullying Roome, D. (2010). The differences between male and female bullying. Suite101.com. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://bullying.suite101.com/article.cfm/the-differences-between-male-and-female-bullying Shore, K. (2006). What are the effects of bullying. The ABCs of Bullying Prevention: A Comprehensive Schoolwide Approach. New York, NY: NPR Inc. Smith, P. (1999). Anti-bullying project in a Dublin secondary school. The Nature of School Bullying: A Cross-National Perspective. USA: Routledge. Smith, P. & Sharp, S. (1994). The problem of school bullying. School Bullying: Insights and Perspectives. USA: Routledge. Swearer, S., Espelage, D., & Napolitano, S. (2009). Bullying: increased attention or bigger problem? Bullying Prevention and Intervention: Realistic Strategies for Schools. New York: Guilford Press. Thompson, R. (2006). Strategies to counter bullying in schools. Nurturing future generations: promoting resilience in children and adolescents through social, emotional, and cognitive skills. New York: Routledge. Read More