Did you know any bullies in school—other students who regularly picked on different victims and made their lives deeply unbearable?
Bullying and bullies, unfortunately, are far from uncommon. A UNESCO report says that 32% of students are bullied at schools worldwide. Most have either endured or witnessed the repercussions of bullying, which is a pattern of behavior wherein one person regularly abuses another who has little or no capacity to fight back.
In other words, in bullying interactions, one person is the aggressor and the other is the recipient. Even though bullying has primarily been researched in the context of children and teenagers, it is also prevalent in other settings such as workplaces and prisons, in other words, any place that will allow the rise of a power balance.
Indeed, research findings show that nearly half of all people incarcerated are subjected to one or more incidents of harassment each week. (e.g., Ireland & Archer, 2002; Neuman & Baron, in press). Therefore, we consider research on bullying in many different contexts in this discussion.
Why Do People Engage in Bullying?
Of course, the most central query about bullying is why it happens. Why do some people choose targets to torment over and over again? Although there is no correct response, two motives appear to be essential: the desire to have authority over others and the desire to be part of a group that is "tough" and thus high in status.
These motives are visible in research conducted by Roland in 2002. More than 2,000 kids in Norway were involved in this research, answering questions designed to assess their desire to exert authority over others, their interest in the rest of the powerful group, and their propensity to be displeased or depressed. (Studies have indicated that being depressed seems to be another origin of wanting to bully because it makes the bullies believe they feel a bit better). To obtain a measure of bullying, the children were asked to indicate how frequently they had bullied other kids (i.e., never, now and then, weekly, daily). When contrasted to teacher ratings, such self-reports of bullying have generally been found to be reliable.
The findings revealed some intriguing gender differences. Bullying was significantly related to both the inclination to acquire power and the urge to be a part of powerful groups among boys, but experiencing depression was not. All three motives for girls have been linked to bullying. This implies, for girls, aggressing someone who can't fight back is one method for attempting to cope with the adverse emotions linked to depression. While many other factors contribute to bullying, the motivations brought up here are among the most critical reasons for such conduct.
The Characteristics of a Victim
Following are the characteristics of a possible victim of bullying:
Insecurities
Bullying is more likely to occur in children who appear submissive, passive, or anxious than in children who do not. Even before they are bullied, bullied children are often insecure and cry a lot.
Peer Acceptance Is Lower
Bullying victims may have few or no friends; the child who sits alone at lunch is a common depiction in movies and television. When contrasted to their contemporaries who are not bullied, a person who is the bully’s focus is much less likely to have a large network of friends.
Assumed to Be "Different"
Children who are deemed as "different" in some way by their contemporaries are far more highly likely to be victimized. Bullying has a detrimental impact on children with special needs and cognitive impairments.
Characteristics of a Bully
Following are the characteristics of a bully:
Intention
Bullies tend to believe that others do things on purpose or with malice because of the characteristics that will last. Victims, on the other hand, are more likely to believe that others act the way they do because they are reacting to unforeseen circumstances, and how they've been considered by others.
Self-Esteem and Identity
A further distinction is that bullies have lower self-esteem than the general population. As a direct consequence, they engage in violent conduct toward others to bolster their identity. Furthermore, bullies have a vicious and duplicitous approach to life and interacting with others. Because they believe others cannot be trusted, they presume it is perfectly acceptable to break their word and take unethical leverage over others.
Aggression
Finally, bullies say that the best way to respond to bullying is with aggression. They believe, more than others, that being highly aggressive will bring them high levels of respect.
Lastly, bullies presume that violence is the ideal reaction to harassment. They genuinely think that being excessively hostile will earn them recognition more so than other folks.
Reducing the Occurrence of Bullying: Some Positive Steps
Parents and teachers can play an important role in the prevention of bullying at school.
Early Detection
Adults must try to identify early signs of trouble in children/students, such as attitudinal variations, low self-esteem, and increased irritability. Early detection of signs, decisive intervention, and proactive counseling can help victims cope with the consequences of bullying.
Proper action
If abuse begins to transpire, those in supervisory roles (teachers, prison guards, and supervisors) should bring it to the widest possible audience and take a firm stance against it. Abuse targets must be given clear guidance on how to deal with maltreatment, including what to do and whom to see when it takes place. External assistance is frequently beneficial in determining the root of bullying and developing anti-bullying strategies.
References
Fraser, R. (2020). Some Children Are More Likely to Be Victimized Than Others. Retrieved 31 March 2022, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/characteristics-of-a-typical-victim-of-bullying-3288501
Bullying - Wikipedia. (2022). Retrieved 31 March 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullying
Baron, R., & Branscombe, N. (2012). Social psychology (14th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2006)
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