The Motivation behind Bullying - Essay Example

CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 0 Historical Background Bullying is an act, in which people use coercion or force to abuse or oppress others and it can also involve psychological impacts both on the bully and the victim. It transpires that people who bully others usually are persistent with the habit. Both physical and verbal abuses are involved in bullying and the effects of both types of bullying can be long term, having emotional trauma on the victims. Moreover, it has been seen that the people who bully others have some background of psychological disturbances. Many of the psychologists have been working in this area of human nature to determine the motivation behind bullying. Spreading of rumors about others is also a form of bullying that may leave the victims with the result of mistrusting others. According to a research, cases of bullying happen at every seventh minute in playgrounds. In classrooms, such coercion occurs once in every 25 minutes. Therefore, this problem has remained the main focus of many psychologists and sociologists, due to the concerns about the consequences of bullying others. Cyber bullying is also becoming a common form of bullying across the world, which affects the youth through the spread of emails and text messages. Therefore, there is an urgent need for schools and other educational and sports institutions to take initiatives to eradicate the issue of bullying (Harris, 2009). In this context, parents also have a crucial role to play in guiding their children to report bullying. Most of the kids do not disclose their feelings to their parents when they are bullied online. Thus, parent child relationship is a significant element that will help to overcome the severe effects of such situations. Child bullying is not just limited to physical abuse but also includes verbal abuse. Similarly, bullying on the basis of ethnic background and sexual orientation is quite common and various studies have been conducted in the past to address these issues (ScholarlyEditions, 2011). The issue of child bullying and its effects on the victims have remained one of the most researched subjects for academics. In the last 20 years, there have been over 600 studies aimed at understanding the reasons of bullying, incidences and their implications on the victims. A new study in this field will add to the volume of the existing literature that currently exists and, it would therefore, be relevant to compare the findings from the present study with those published previously. This will help in understanding the current status of such behaviors in schools. 1.1 Problem Statement The effects of bullying can be long lasting and it impacts both the victims as well as the perpetrators. Besides, this behavior may also affect other students who witness such acts being inflicted on others. The problem leaves an indelible impact on the psychology of the people in the long run, as the long term emotional trauma keeps haunting them. In order to attain a realistic understanding of the gravity of this problem an the intensity of its impact on the victimized children, the short and long terms effects of the phenomenon on the people involved need to be investigated thoroughly. Additionally, it also needs to be appreciated that the bullying experience in childhood continues to affect people during their adult lives also. Thus, the impacts of bullying are severe due to the long-term emotional damage that entails as the consequence of bullying. Moreover, it there are also short term impacts of bullying that trigger the long term impacts that negatively affect individuals (Marin, 2011). A more disturbing fact is that more often than not, bullying occurs on the basis of racial discrimination. This has especially been so in the case of people from different ethnical backgrounds and specifically the African Americans residing in Boston, MA. Most of them are either immigrants from countries like Uganda, Nigeria, and Kenya or they are born in the US to migrant parents from these countries. In the modern, civilized world, such discrimination being meted out to a specific ethnic group in a country like the US that upholds the tenets of equality and freedom is intolerable. Thus, the bullying being inflicted on students in the schools in Boston, MA, which can cause far reaching psychological damage to them, needs to be addressed urgently. In this context, the present study is somewhat similar to the previous studies including Moran, Smith, Thompson, & Whitney (2011) and Vervoort, Scholte, & Overbeek (2010) investigating differences in child bullying experiences and effects amongst children of different age and ethnic groups. Also, in particular such studies have been undertaken in the past in Boston education institutions and it will therefore be possible to relate the findings from the present study to them for a comparative analysis. It is relevant here that the country has a responsibility to ensure that the concept of equality and rights of every citizen of the country, irrespective of race, ethnicity or the region to which they belong. Thus, when imparity is being shown to specific ethnic groups such as children of immigrants from Uganda, Nigeria and Kenya, who are studying in schools in Boston MA, the government needs to intervene to make sure that no mistreatment is meted out to minority groups in the country. Moreover, there is an urgent need to identify effective measures that can help the school authorities to encounter and effectively check this problem. 1.2 Rationale The most significant reason behind choosing this social issue for the present study is the increasing number of cases of bullying in Boston schools and playgrounds, which has targeted a specific ethnic group. The situation has been found so severe as to warrant immediate remedial action because it has been estimated that around 200 million children throughout the world are bullied every year. The figures appear threatening the social environments of even developed countries including USA, Australia and UK. Besides, in a country like the US, which upholds the tenets of equality and justice to all, targeted bullying practices on a specific group cannot be tolerated. Thus, many of the concerned bodies are attempting to resolve the situation through the introduction of different campaigns against the act of bullying (Vaughn, et al., 2010; Boulton, et al., 2007). Another significant factor to be considered is that the effects of bullying continue to manifest on individuals even in their adulthood, thus making them suffer psychological problems even later in life. Countries like Australia have a system, whereby almost all schools have developed strategies and policies to safeguard their children from being bullied. When one considers the disastrous effects that bullying, which usually last for children during their life time, causing problems even in their adulthood, it needs to be appreciated that there is a need to do research about the problem, so that better ways of resolving the issue can be worked out (Vernberg & Biggs, 2010). Though in the US authorities have made some efforts to address the issue of child bullying and its adverse effects through some preventive programs in schools, it appears that these measures are not adequate and the legislature requires greater amount of accountability in schools to develop and implement active policies in order to prevent, record, and take cognizant and affirmative actions in such incidences (Guerra, Williams, & Sadek, 2011). Therefore, a research of this magnitude can help identify the specific issues relating to the problem and help design effective counter measures to address them. 1.3 Research Aims and Objectives The aim of the study is to understand the phenomenon of bullying and its short term and long term impacts on the people who were bullied as children and to suggest the measures that can address this issue. The primary objective of the study is to explore both the short term and long term effects of bullying on adult lives of individuals belonging to the African American ethnic group, currently residing in Boston, MA. The secondary objective focuses on the differences between the effects of bullying has among different ethnic groups. This study will also attempt to evaluate the current measures in the country to address the issue and endorse suitable recommendations as to what additional efforts could be made to address the problem. 1.5 Scope of Research The scope of the study encompasses the identification of psychological and social issues related to bullying. It will discuss and analyze the experiences of individuals from different ethnic backgrounds especially African background related to child bullying and its effect on their adult lives. Since the study encompasses the evaluation of the problems of a specific ethnic group, it does not envisage any consideration of the general aspects. The outcome of the study is considered subjective which is based on the researcher’s own knowledge of the subject and therefore, the findings presented in this report must be considered in the context of how the study has been performed. To enhance the scope of the study, data has been collected from both primary and secondary sources and findings of the primary research are backed up already existing literature on the subject of child bullying. Research Methodology: The researcher will consider both primary and secondary data for the purpose of the investigation into the consequences of bullying and the psychological effects it has on children of immigrant parents from countries such as Uganda, Nigeria and Kenya, who are studying in the schools in Boston, MA. For obtaining primary data, information will be gathered by usage of a survey questionnaire and a sample population from the selected background i.e. Uganda, Nigeria, and Kenya residing in Boston, US will be requested to participate in the survey. The questions will include both close-ended and open-ended questions, primarily to derive information of the bullying they have had to undergo as students. It will also attempt to extract information relating to how the bullying has impacted them throughout their adult lives and the current effect of the same, if any. The subjects will include the affected population falling in the range of 18 to 55 years so that the bullying habits of recent years as well as in the earlier days can be understood. They will also be asked whether any of their children, currently studying in schools, face the problem of bullying in their schools. If so, the nature of bullying and whether it is targeted to a specific ethnic group will also be ascertained. In addition, attempts will also be made to ascertain information related to bullying through the school authorities such as teachers and principals or administrative staff. For a study of this magnitude, the data collected has to consider both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the issue of bullying. Thus, the researcher will consider a mixed method approach for collecting relevant data. The findings of the study will envisage the experiences of child bullying and its impact on individuals belonging to different countries such as Uganda, Nigeria and Kenya who are currently the residents of Boston, MA. 1.6 Terminologies Bullying: Intentional use of force, aggression, or influence on others to intimate them. Verbal Bullying: Intimating individuals through the use of insult, aggressive, teasing, or racist language. Physical Bullying: Hurting someone with the use of power. Use of physical strength to cause pain to others. Psychological Bullying: Exhibiting behavior which involves use of subtle methods of coercion. Read More