Preception of Bullying - Research Paper Example

PERCEPTIONS OF BULLYING PERCEPTIONS OF BULLYING Bullying is an aggressive, unwanted behavior portrayed by schoolaged children. The practice involves a perceived or real power imbalance. The behavior occurs repetitively over time. Bullying encompasses actions such as spreading rumors, making threats, attacking others physically or by word of mouth, and isolating an individual from a group with certain intentions or on purpose. To understand bullying, an experiment was conducted in a school to determine the attitude of students towards victimization and bullying. Aims The experiment aimed at establishing how far negative and positive judgments concerning bullying, victims, and blame bestowed on the victims vary. This was to vary based on the gender of bullies, victims, and observers. The experiment was also to examine bullying that takes place alone or in groups (Psychol 2004). Sample Participants in the experiment were 117 students. 49 of them were boys while 68 were girls. All of them were aged 11 to12. They were allocated to the different independent groups based on the experimental condition. The groups were categorized as bullying alone among boys, bullying in a group of boys, among girls, and bullying alone among girls (Psychol 2004). Method The participants were made to watch one of the four different versions of the videos depending on the experimental condition. The videos showed brief standardized bullying episodes that occurred in school. The students then had to fill in questionnaire reports that measured the dependent variables. The variables were the participant’s negative or positive response and judgment towards the victim and bully in the video. The respondents also had to indicate the extent to which they blamed the victim for the occurrence (Psychol 2004). Results In general, all the results indicated that the students possess positive attitudes and feelings towards the victims and do not blame them for the occurrence. However, girls tend to blame the male victims more than they do on female victims. The reverse also applied to the boy’s judgment. Bullies who acted alone were considered braver and stronger than the bullies who act in groups (Psychol 2004). Physical bullying Physical bullying is a problem that affects the bully, victim, and other students witnessing the bullying. Parents, concerned adults, young people, and teachers should get to know and understand what pertains physical bullying and ways of handling it. There are various forms of detrimental physical interactions that occur among young people and students such as fighting, stealing, practical jokes, and sexual harassment. Such interactions are not considered as forms of bullying unless; the bullies’ intentions are to hurt and intimidate the victim, targets the same victim repeatedly, and when there is a perceived or real power imbalance. Physical bullying can thus take many forms such as spitting, hitting, tripping, pushing, slapping, and stealing (Harding 2013). Physical bullying most often takes place at school but can also occur on the way from and to school. Middle schools are where bullying most takes place and all the students are either affected directly or indirectly. It is where most students get the urge to fit and be along with their peers. It results in some students bullying others and others being the victims as the struggle to fit with the peers continue. Physical bullying is also present in earlier grades, at high school, and some instances at adulthood (Harding 2013). Physical bullying mostly occurs among the males although females can be the cause or victims in instances of physical bullying. Bullies can give a number of reasons as to why they bully others. The bullies may have a desire to have control over others or struggling to fit in a group. Bullies tend to have huge bodies than the victims and have peers who feel condoned by their behaviors. Students who practice bullying over others have problems in controlling themselves. The bullies find difficulties in following rules and caring about other student’s affairs. The bullies are also at risk of having problems later in life are prone to dangers of engaging in violence, failure in career, criminal behaviors and failure in a relationship (Rivkin 2012). Physical bullying victims are also likely to be socially isolated or marginalized for various reasons such as height and ethnicity. Bullying has serious impacts on the victim. It leads to low self-esteem, trouble at school, depression, and violent behaviors. Signs of a victim of bullying Having unexplained injuries, bruises or cuts The child has damaged clothing and books The students loose things while at school The child complains of not feeling well The student skips some classes Has a tendency of avoiding going to school The student acts depressed and sad The student withdrawing from the rest Having a feeling of being picked on Displays low self-esteem all the time Possession of mood swings The tendency of wanting to run away Taking weapons at school Talks about violence and suicide against others (Rivkin 2012) Verbal bullying It is the use of verbal language i.e. teasing and insults, by an individual to get power over his/her friends. A less athletically inclined friend, for example, may be called a wimp. Unlike the situations in physical bullying, verbal bullying can be harder to detect, see, or stop. It most likely occurs when older people are not present to stop it which makes its effects not obvious. Those who perpetrate verbal bullying use statements, words, and a name calling to acquire control and power over their targets. Verbal bullies often use hurting insults to demean, belittle, and hurt other people. The bullies choose their targets according to their looks, actions or behaviors. It is also common for the verbal bullies to make easy targets on kids having special needs (Sonneborn 2013). Many adults have the feeling that kids’ words and saying have no significant impacts. Due to that, they advise victims of bullying to just ignore the acts as well as the bullies. Research has given enough proof that name calling and verbal bullying has serious effects and results. Verbal bullying at most leaves emotional scars. Bullying via verbal language is very damaging and brings about psychological impacts on the victim (Mah 2009). Effects of Verbal Bullying Words when solely used have power. Unlike the effects of physical bullying that are more obvious, verbal language when used for log period destroys the victim’s self-esteem and self-image. Lowering one’s self esteem can lead to anxiety, depression, and other problems. In some extreme cases, suicide by students has been attributed to prolonged verbal bullying by other students or even teachers. Verbal bullying should be dealt with more seriousness and not just as a kid’s thing or affair. Parents, administrators, religious leaders, and teachers need to intervene (Sonneborn 2013). How to Deal with Verbal Bullies (parent/child) Parents should know the happening in their children’s daily activities so as to understand their behaviors. If parents suspect the child is being subjected to bullying, they can ask questions but must at first understand that children require more talking and a good approach before opening up. The child should talk to the school administrators: It is crucial that the school administrators should monitor and intervene in what children are doing. The parents on their side should make a follow up on the child and the school to ensure the child’s safety and stable learning environment. The student ought to resist the suggestions of simply ignoring the bully actions. Ignoring that nothing is happening does not work. The students exhibiting the bullying behaviors should not while at school. The victim must not endure or hide the harassment as it comes to haunt later (Sonneborn 2013). The affected child should actively participate in social activities such as community groups, supportive environment tasks, and other extracurricular activities. The victim must not accept any form of isolation as the situation may deteriorate. Having close friends and engaging in the activities helps the child develop the right social behaviors and offers protection against anxiety and depression conditions (Mah 2009). Cyber bullying It is when a person uses a phone, the Internet, or other technology to threaten, harass, or target another person. When adults are involved, the situation is referred to as cyber stalking or cyber-harassment. Cyberbullying include behaviors such as making online threats, posting hurtful images, and sending hurting texts and emails. Because students and children are curious with technology, cyberbullying continues to be growing the threat against them. The behavior is also becoming common because bullies their targets with complete anonymity, therefore, reducing the risk of being caught (Kuykendall 2012). Cyberbullies most of the time communicate things that they get the courage to talk by word of mouth while facing the target. Technology makes them detached, anonymous, and insulated from the situation. The result is that online bullying continues to be cruel and mean. The targets of cyberbullying are always invasive and the unsure feeling never ends. Bullies from their comfort of their houses or homes gets to know their identity and can contact them at any time. The complexity in technology makes the consequences of bullying even more significant than others (Trolley & Hanel 2010). Cyberbullying most of the time is not a one-time communication. One time communication in cyber bullying occurs in the case of death threats or serious body harm. Children are always aware of what happening when cyberbullying starts. Parents on the other hand become worried because of the language used by their kids rather than the embarrassing posts. Cyberbullying may result to misdemeanor cyber harassment charges, or where the child is very young results in juvenile delinquency charges. The behavior does not continue for long but the parents may often try to pursue the bully. The children may end up losing their IM and ISP accounts to violation of terms and conditions. The practice will also call for serious criminal charges under the federal law if there was hacking or password theft (Roleff 2012). In case schools try to resolve and discipline students for cyberbullying that took place outside the institution, the school administrators can be sued for disrupting the students right to speech. The school is also sued for exceeding its authority. Schools together with parents can intervene and stop the cyberbullying incidents. The schools can also educate students about cyber ethics and law. The law should give schools more power in the intervening of situations affecting the students whether at school or not (Roleff 2012). Social bullying It refers to the aggressive and repetitive social morals that are intended to hurt other people. Common behaviors under social bullying are such as gossip, verbal abuse and other actions that cause emotional and mental harm as well as social isolation. This bullying mostly occurs at schools, colleges, work situations, and sports activities. Neighborhoods are also a potential source of social bullying (Healey 2011). When it happens to children, it often takes place without getting notice from teachers and parents. It is also at times called emotional bullying as children may at times try to sacrifice their social standings or hurt a friend. Social bullies break confidences, manipulate situations, spread rumors and ostracize others from social groupings. Social bullies aim at enhancing their social standing and weakening others. Girls in particular social bullying more often than boys do. The act results in most girls nick named as frenemies or the mean girls (Healey 2011). Children on the receiving end of social bullying are most often teased, excluded, insulted, ignored and intimidated. Although social bullying is common middle schools, it is not only witnessed in teens. Work places are full of bullying bosses and workers who engage in social bullying. The aim of this type of bullying is harming and to belittle another group or individual. Teasing of unpopular and new students in middle schools is the common form of social bullying. Making fun at how a student talks, laughing at others clothes, mocking one’s culture and race are all forms of social bullying. Laughing at other student’s academic performance is another worse form of social bullying that the bullies use in isolating others (Acred 2012). Social bullying is also common in adulthood between family members and neighbors. Sabotaging others socially is done by constantly telling and advising them what to do. The behavior causes humiliation while the bully gains control over victims (Acred 2012). References Acred, C. (2012). Bullying in our society. Cambridge: Independence Educational Publishers. Harding, A. (2013). How to beat physical bullying. New York, NY: Rosen Central. Healey, J. (2011). Dealing with bullying. Thirroul, N.S.W.: Spinney Press. Kuykendall, S. (2012). Bullying. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood. Mah, R. (2009). Getting beyond bullying and exclusion, preK-5: empowering children in inclusive classrooms. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin. Rigby, K. (2002). New perspectives on bullying. London: J. Kingsley. Rivkin, J. (2012). Physical bullying. London: Crabtree. Roleff, T. L. (2012). Cyberbullying. Detroit, MI: Greenhaven Press. Sonneborn, L. (2013). How to beat verbal bullying. New York, NY: Rosen Central. Trolley, B., & Hanel, C. (2010). Cyber kids, cyber bullying, cyber balance. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press. Psychol, E. J. (2004) What about bullying? An experimental field study to understand students attitudes towards bullying and victimization in Italian middle schools. Read More