The act of bullying another person can affect everyone. There are different places that bullying can take place as well as different types of bullying. This detrimental harm that is being performed can be done at school by peers or teachers, home by parents or siblings, workplace by bosses or coworkers, online by friends or strangers, or where anyone is deliberately causing harm to another person. A perpetrator can attack, tease, humiliate, embarrass, or just annoy a person and it can be considered bullying if the person who is receiving it does not appreciate the harm that is being done to them. The focus is going to be on the victim of bullying, the perpetrator who is causing the harm and why they are doing it, the roots of bullying, and what we as a community can do to stop and prevent this social justice issue.
The Victim of Bullying
First, the person who is being attacked by the bully is called the victim. Over 77 percent of students have been bullied verbally, mentally, and physically throughout their years of school (Bullying Statistics, 2/20/17). Not everybody reports when they are being bullied because they may not even know or feel like they are. Kids and teenagers are bullied for a number of reasons-- none of them being their faults. Sherri Gordon stated that whether they be boys or girls, the victims of bullies may have low self esteems and not many friends which is why some people feel the need to take advantage of them in making them feel lower than they already are for the bully’s gain. Even though the victims of bullies may have low self esteems, that may not always be the case. For example, a well liked and extroverted girl may be bullied by another girl who feels like she should be standing socially higher than the well liked girl. Another person could become a victim because they may have a difference of beliefs or opinions than another. The bully may not agree with the person which is why they may act out on the person who has differing aspects or qualities (Gordon, 2/20/17).
The Perpetrator of Bullying
On the other hand, a bully will most likely have a lower self esteem as well as pain they are trying to manage themselves just like the people they are causing harm to. There are always reasons on why people act out and decide to hurt others, but the reasons may be hard to see at first sight. According to us.ditchthelabel.org, people become bullies because of stress/trauma, aggressive behaviors, experienced bullied, difficult home life and insecure relationships (Ditch The Label, 2/20/17). A person does not bully another for no reason, there is always an underlying reason. When a person is targeted for specific things or qualities about them, it is scientifically proven that none of those are truly why the person is bullying them. The root and reasons of bullying stems from the actual perpetrator and their lives, not the victims lives.
Roots of Bullying
Bullying can affect one out of four people. There was a study that was conducted that received essential and beneficial information regarding the legitimate reasons why people bully their victims: “In a recent Ditch the Label study, we spoke to 8,850 people about bullying. We asked respondents to define bullying and then later asked if, based on their own definition, they had ever bullied anybody. 14% of our overall sample, so that’s 1,239 people, said yes. What we then did was something that had never been done on this scale before; we asked them intimate questions about their lives, exploring things like stress and trauma, home lives, relationships and how they feel about themselves. In fact, we asked all 8,850 respondents the same questions and then compared the answers from those who had never bullied, those who had bullied at least once and those who bully others daily. This then gave us very strong and factual data to identify the real reasons why people bully others. It also scientifically proves that the reason people get bullied is never, contrary to popular belief, because of the unique characteristics of the person experiencing the bullying.” This essential piece of information proves that a person bully’s because of circumstances in their own lives not the victims. From the time that a child is born to the years of their schooling, it is possible that they may be abused by family members or people they know and may also feel or neglected and lack of attention. These proponents negatively affect the child’s self esteem which may cause them to act out and lower other children’s self esteems in hopes that they will feel better about themselves.
Prevention with the Community’s Help
Lastly, it is up to our communities and the people around us to help stop and prevent this social justice issue that is harming the lives of everyone involved. According to the National Bullying Prevention Center, students who experience bullying are at increased risk for poor school adjustment, sleep difficulties, anxiety, and depression (Center for Disease Control, 2015, 2/5/17). The victim of a bullying situation can experience life long difficulties and struggles because of what harm has been done to them whether it was verbal, sexual, physical, or mental abuse by a bully. Another statistic regarding the bully stated, students who engage in bullying behavior are at increased risk for academic problems, substance use, and violent behavior later in adolescence and adulthood (Center for Disease Control, 2015). Just like the victim, the perpetrator can also struggle with life long difficulties. We as students at schools, friends in neighborhoods, family members in households need to help those around us whether they are the victims of a bully or the bully themselves.
It Starts With You
More than half of bullying situations (57%) stop when a peer intervenes on behalf of the student being bullied (Hawkins, Pepler, & Craig, 2001, 2/5/17). The prevention process can start from small, day to day, interactions with everyone that we come in contact with. Whether it is a smile to a stranger or a hug to a friend, we must spread kindness. Even if people have wronged us in anyway, we must try to look at it from their point of view and see if we can help them. We need to and should want to help those who are hurting because everyone deserves to feel important, loved and treated fairly. We are all human beings with feelings that are of worth and matter.
The Victim of Bullying
First, the person who is being attacked by the bully is called the victim. Over 77 percent of students have been bullied verbally, mentally, and physically throughout their years of school (Bullying Statistics, 2/20/17). Not everybody reports when they are being bullied because they may not even know or feel like they are. Kids and teenagers are bullied for a number of reasons-- none of them being their faults. Sherri Gordon stated that whether they be boys or girls, the victims of bullies may have low self esteems and not many friends which is why some people feel the need to take advantage of them in making them feel lower than they already are for the bully’s gain. Even though the victims of bullies may have low self esteems, that may not always be the case. For example, a well liked and extroverted girl may be bullied by another girl who feels like she should be standing socially higher than the well liked girl. Another person could become a victim because they may have a difference of beliefs or opinions than another. The bully may not agree with the person which is why they may act out on the person who has differing aspects or qualities (Gordon, 2/20/17).
The Perpetrator of Bullying
On the other hand, a bully will most likely have a lower self esteem as well as pain they are trying to manage themselves just like the people they are causing harm to. There are always reasons on why people act out and decide to hurt others, but the reasons may be hard to see at first sight. According to us.ditchthelabel.org, people become bullies because of stress/trauma, aggressive behaviors, experienced bullied, difficult home life and insecure relationships (Ditch The Label, 2/20/17). A person does not bully another for no reason, there is always an underlying reason. When a person is targeted for specific things or qualities about them, it is scientifically proven that none of those are truly why the person is bullying them. The root and reasons of bullying stems from the actual perpetrator and their lives, not the victims lives.
Roots of Bullying
Bullying can affect one out of four people. There was a study that was conducted that received essential and beneficial information regarding the legitimate reasons why people bully their victims: “In a recent Ditch the Label study, we spoke to 8,850 people about bullying. We asked respondents to define bullying and then later asked if, based on their own definition, they had ever bullied anybody. 14% of our overall sample, so that’s 1,239 people, said yes. What we then did was something that had never been done on this scale before; we asked them intimate questions about their lives, exploring things like stress and trauma, home lives, relationships and how they feel about themselves. In fact, we asked all 8,850 respondents the same questions and then compared the answers from those who had never bullied, those who had bullied at least once and those who bully others daily. This then gave us very strong and factual data to identify the real reasons why people bully others. It also scientifically proves that the reason people get bullied is never, contrary to popular belief, because of the unique characteristics of the person experiencing the bullying.” This essential piece of information proves that a person bully’s because of circumstances in their own lives not the victims. From the time that a child is born to the years of their schooling, it is possible that they may be abused by family members or people they know and may also feel or neglected and lack of attention. These proponents negatively affect the child’s self esteem which may cause them to act out and lower other children’s self esteems in hopes that they will feel better about themselves.
Prevention with the Community’s Help
Lastly, it is up to our communities and the people around us to help stop and prevent this social justice issue that is harming the lives of everyone involved. According to the National Bullying Prevention Center, students who experience bullying are at increased risk for poor school adjustment, sleep difficulties, anxiety, and depression (Center for Disease Control, 2015, 2/5/17). The victim of a bullying situation can experience life long difficulties and struggles because of what harm has been done to them whether it was verbal, sexual, physical, or mental abuse by a bully. Another statistic regarding the bully stated, students who engage in bullying behavior are at increased risk for academic problems, substance use, and violent behavior later in adolescence and adulthood (Center for Disease Control, 2015). Just like the victim, the perpetrator can also struggle with life long difficulties. We as students at schools, friends in neighborhoods, family members in households need to help those around us whether they are the victims of a bully or the bully themselves.
It Starts With You
More than half of bullying situations (57%) stop when a peer intervenes on behalf of the student being bullied (Hawkins, Pepler, & Craig, 2001, 2/5/17). The prevention process can start from small, day to day, interactions with everyone that we come in contact with. Whether it is a smile to a stranger or a hug to a friend, we must spread kindness. Even if people have wronged us in anyway, we must try to look at it from their point of view and see if we can help them. We need to and should want to help those who are hurting because everyone deserves to feel important, loved and treated fairly. We are all human beings with feelings that are of worth and matter.