The Effects of Bullying in Teenagers at
School
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
School is the place where learners
learn and mold themselves into someone they wanted to be. They learn how to
become someone in the future by learning the different fundamentals of life as
a person. In school the learners develop themselves intellectually, physically
and mentally. Teenagers were engaged in different aspect in their life to
develop their selves to their full potentials to help them to become the hope of our nation who will build our country
in a harmonious relationship in order to attain success in life and achieve the
emotional happiness as a person. However, school today has been slowly changing
its perception to other learners.
According
to the survey of Childline, it
is estimated that approximately 75% of adolescent in the United States has been
bullied at some time in school. This is one of many statistics found in the article “Bullies,
victims grow into roles that can last a lifetime”. The author reveals that
bullying has many forms and levels of severity and can be devastating and its
effect often lasts a lifetime.
Bullying is a behavior
that can only be easily recognized when individuals experience it. Bullying can
happen to anyone at any age and anywhere whether at school, home, or even in a
workplace. So far, it is difficult to define bullying since it relates to both
a wide range behavior that may constitute bullying, and the characteristics of
bullying behavior (Montgomery, 1994). Bullying as “long standing violence,
physical or psychological, perpetrated by an individual or group directed
against an individual who cannot defend himself or herself” (Roland, 2001).
Moreover bullying can
have a wide-ranging impact on teens – from victims, to those who witness
bullying, to the bullies themselves – and affect each one well into adulthood
which bullying is a form of abuse and it is a narcissistic sort of act (Dombeck,
2006). In the article of Mr. Dombeck, (2007), “The Long term Effects of
Bullying”, he said that both bullying and traditional forms of abuse are
selfish and/or sadistic, destructive, and often violent acts perpetrated upon
victim who do not in any way, shape or form deserve to be treated in that
manner.
In the same
way Coloroso (2009) stated that most bullying starts out as a small tease for
the bully to examine the vulnerability of their victim. Then they find the
obvious or underline difference between them and their victim to initiate the
labeling, this includes anything from race, religion, sexuality, to physical
disabilities, skin colors and etc. 35% of kids were directly involved in bullying
incidents, 85% of girls and 76% of boys reported having experienced sexual
harassment, 24% race related bullying.
Due to the fast growing number of abuse in schools and the
teenagers who were affected of this problem were more brutal and aggressive in
the society. Thus the teenagers have been affected.
With
the aforementioned realities about the increasing abuse given by the teenagers
in bullying, the researcher found it significant to explore
the reasons why bullies intend to bully other people, also the different types
of bullying, how to cope up with it and most importantly are the impact of
bullying to the students who are being bullied by the bullies.
CHAPTER
2
DISCUSSION
Most people however have
not been able to know what bullying or what it means to bully. Bullying is not
a simple as one frightening or distressing others. It is not something that a
person can easily see and prevent to hurt others. A bully person can easily
find a way to harass another by separating what makes them different from each
other and use that difference between each other.
People bully when they
find someone having a low self-esteem and think they are better than others. Bullying
happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the person
that’s being a bully has a hard time or can’t defend themselves. Teenager age
bullying is a topic that needs to be talked about because it has the kind of
level who’s going to be more violent and are a lot more severe than younger age
bullying. And sometimes it ends up in a fight and worst suicide. This is terrible
because the teenager who is being bullied do not deserve what they are getting.
Nobody deserves to be harassed and manipulated or to be bullied for no reason
or any other reason because it’s quite unfair, hurtful and injustice for the
one who is being bullied.
School is the place known
to be source of bullying because of many different reasons even if they are
popular. It is hard to tell for teenagers being bullied compare to kids who is
manageable because the bully will just hurt them some more.
As well as the general
bullying described, there can be some way specific types that all people not
only teenagers should be aware of. Bullying isn’t always so obvious, it can
happen inside and outside of school and these days there are more ways to upset
people than before. Some types of bullying are:
·
Physical Bullying.
According to bullyingstatistics.com, “Physical bullying is a serious problem,
affecting not only the bully and the victim, but also the other students who
witness the bullying. Parents, teachers, and other concerned adults and young
people should be aware of what physical bullying is and some of the ways to
handle it.”
Physical
bullying is the most obvious type of bullying that cause a lot of damage to
their victims, physically. Bullies use force and body strength to overpower
their victims. Most of this type occurs in and around the schools. Physical
bullying includes kicking, punching, hitting, and other physical attacks. It is
a form of aggressive behavior that involves an imbalance of power manifested by
the use of force. It is often a warning sign that children and teens are
heading for trouble and are at risk for serious violence.
Teens, particularly, the boys who bully are
likely to engage in other antisocial/delinquent behavior like vandalism,
shoplifting, absenteeism and drug use into adulthood. Bullies have a strong
need to dominate others and usually have little empathy for their targets. Male
bullies are often physically bigger and stronger than their peers. Bullies tend
to get in trouble more often, and do more poorly in school than teens who do
not bully others. They are also more likely to fight, drink and smoke than
their peers.
·
Cyber Bullying. Bullying also can happen to people
online this is called cyber bullying. It is when a child or a teen bully on the
internet using a computer or mobile phones. Things like sending text messages
or e-mail, posting sick pictures or messages about the others in blogs or on
websites, using another person’s name to spread rumors or lies about someone
else, in other words, bullying happens everywhere.
Every day
we hear about bullying, whether it is in the news, at school, or from our
friends. As technology advances, so do other aspects of life, such as bullying.
Now, bullying has spread into cyberspace and can attack individuals through the
internet. As time goes by bullying will continue to expand along with
technology and find ways to harm people by any means necessary. Although it is
evident bullying never be fully controlled, it can moderated and reduced by
enforcing strict regulations against the school.
·
Emotional Bullying. "The saying, if sticks and stones
will break my bones, but words will never hurt me was ever true, it sure isn't
true today" (Gaul, 2012). Emotional Bullying is any act including
confinement, isolation, verbal assault, humiliation, intimidation or any other
treatment which may diminish the sense of identity, dignity, and self-worth
(Tracy, 2012). Bullying in and out of schools is getting out of control. In
today's world, bullying is nothing out of the ordinary. Bullying is a worldwide
epidemic, like a virus or cancer it picks and gnaws into the bone of our youth.
It leaves its victims tattered to the very soul. Students who are bullied have
lasting fears that their torment will continue to harass them. Various reports
and studies have established that approximately 15% of students are initiators
of bullying behavior (Olweus, 2011).
Emotional abuse is also known as psychological
abuse or as "chronic verbal aggression" by researchers. People
who suffer from emotional abuse tend to have very low self-esteem; show
personality changes (such as becoming withdrawn) and may even become depressed,
anxious or suicidal.
·
Verbal Bullying. These are one of the more difficult
types of bullies to identify since their attacks tend to only occur when adults
are not present. Even though verbal bullying creates no physical damage, this
type of abuse can have lasting psychological impacts on victims. Verbal
bullying is a type of bullying done by speaking. Calling names, spreading rumors,
threatening somebody, and making fun of others are all forms of verbal
bullying. Verbal bullying is one of the most common types of bullying. In
verbal bullying the main weapon the bully uses are their voice.
Most people may think of physical bullying as the most
damaging type of bullying to a person; however, verbal bullying can be just as
harmful as physical bullying, if not worse. According to Fraser-Thrill (2005), verbal
bullying is when someone uses language to gain power over his or her peers. The
bully may use insults or teasing to get his or her point across.
From time to time we are all likely to say something which is
nasty and abusive to our friends or our relatives. Usually when we realize that
what we have said is hurtful, we feel sorry for the hurt we have caused and
apologize. Verbal abusers are not likely to apologize, not because they don't
realize that they have been hurtful, but because that is their aim.
·
Sexual
Bullying. Sometimes schools and other places use one term or the
other legal reasons. For instance, a school document may use the term
“Bullying” to describe what’s against school policy, while a law might use the
term “Harassment” to define what’s against the law-same behavior might be
against school policy and also against the law.
With
sexual bullying, the focus is on things like a person’s appearance, body parts
or sexual orientation. It includes spreading gossip or rumors of a sexual
nature. Maybe verbal (like making rude comments to or about someone), people
use technology to harass someone sexually (like sending inappropriate text
messages or videos). Sometimes harassment and bullying can even get physical.
Sexual
bullying doesn’t just happen to girls. Boys can harass girls, girls also can harass guys, guys can harass
other guys, and girls may harass other girls. It isn’t limited to people of the
same age, either. Adults sometimes sexually harass young people (and
occasionally, teens may harass adults, though that’s pretty rare). Most of the
time, when sexual harassment happens to teens, its being done by people in the
same age group.
Sexual
harassment and sexual bullying are very similar – they both involve unwelcome
or unwanted sexual comments, attention, or physical contact. For the person who
is being targeted, though, it doesn’t make much difference if something is
called bullying or harassment. This kind of behavior is upsetting no matter
what it’s called. Like anyone who’s being bullied, people who are sexually
bullied or harassed can feel a great deal of emotional stress if the situation
continues without relief.
Effects
of Bullying
People
who are bullied are likely to have lower levels of self-esteem
Results
of the survey mentioned above show that one of the major effects of bullying is
lower self-esteem. Over 40% of children who have been bullied reported low
self-esteem, compared with only 6 % in the non-bullied group. The large
majority of both boys and girls said they felt worse about themselves after
they had been bullied.
People
who are bullied appear to have more difficulty making friends
One
of the worst effects of bullying is that victims of bullying find it harder to
make friends. This is possibly because they are different and peer pressure
stops other children standing up for them. Because it is so important for
teenagers to feel they belong to a group they will not risk being isolated
because they stand up for the victims.
Increased
levels of Absenteeism
Students
who are bullied are more likely to stay away from school than those who feel
safe in. This has obvious effects on their educational achievements, on their
ability to make friends, and on self-esteem.
Decreased
ability to devise coping strategies both bullies and their victims have fewer
ways to cope with conflict and to solve problems than those not involved in
bullying. The effects of bullying may mean these young people never learn to
cope as adults.
Academic
Performance
A recent analysis of 33 studies concluded that
students who are bullied are more likely to earn lower grades and scores on
standardized achievement tests. This association is much rebutted across grade
levels and samples. The few studies that have exanimate the casual effects time
indicate that peer victimization increases the risk of lower achievement.
Recent analysis further suggests that bullying can account for up to an average
1.5 letter gradual decreases in one academic subject (e.g., math) across the
three years of middle school. The connection between harassment and low
academic achievement has also been observed in school level data as reported in
California healthy student research project (chsrp).
Physical
and Socioemotional Well Being
It
also hurts the children who bully, as well as those who watch it happen. In
fact, bullying creates a climate of fear callousness and disrespect for
everyone involved.
Social
well has shown that bullying can have had a long lasting effect on children
well into adulthood causing serious implications of their social developments.
The effects are damaging to both the aggressor and the victim leading to a
never ending chain of bullying. Although, some may think bullying is natural
and even typical, many believe it is dangerous and can cause serious health problems
for children in their developmental stages. Putting a stop to bullying is
essential as and minimizes violence and crime.
Onyshiw
and Hayduk (2001) have suggested that children who are exposed to such
households will become sadder, withdrawn, and anxious and depressed causing
them to display more physical and verbal aggression. This may very well be the
beginning of a bully in the making for this reason it is a necessary that the
child seek intervention at an early stage, so that aggression among other peers
can be prevented.
If
children and adults are not made aware of different methods of prevention
bullying or intervention of bullying chances are that many of these children
will grow up to commit crimes and become violent criminals who have aggressive.
Much of the reason that children become bullies or are victims of bullies is
due to repetition, unequal power
relationships and intentionally. It is the intention behind the act, rather
than the act itself which is important. It is possible that the bully’s
behavior may lead to crime, criminal violence, and other types of aggressive to
early intervention. In research conducted by culling ford and Morrison (1995),
young offenders who were incarcerated, were interviewed and used in this study
to have them identify situations in their childhood that contributed to their
violent behaviors. Some of the most interesting responses were about teachers
who failed to see the sign of a child was susceptive to being bullied some of
these young offenders said things like they embarrass you. Some teachers used
to make me spell words on the board they knew I couldn’t spell o didn’t like
that (Culling ford and Morrison, 1195). Many of these prisoners felt that the
teachers discriminated against them proper social skills. This gave many of the
bullies on opportunity to prey of these vulnerable victims.
CHAPTER
3
CONCLUSION
In
conclusion, bullying has quickly become a major issue in today’s workplace.
There are many ways or things to do to stop bullying many programs help to
address the same protective and risk factors that bullying programs do. The
best way to address bullying is to stop it before it starts. Bullying can
threaten students’ physical and emotional safety at school and can negatively
impact their ability to learn. Prevention of bullying through education and
awareness is possible and that all of us can play a role.
All of the people need to understand
the issue of bullying more deeply. We need to learn about what the world’s best
research is telling us. We need to be aware of practical approaches, policies,
programs and resources that are effective.
Being bullied is not a fun
experience for anyone. By learning some of the facts surrounding bullying,
hopefully teenagers will be better prepared to handle a situation that they
might be faced with. Just because students are not the victim of a bully
doesn't mean that they are not involved. If the students see someone else
bullying or someone being bullied they now have the tools to help make some
positive changes.
No matter what end of the
bullying in the student, we need to make sure that all of us are doing our part
to prevent and stop this. Bullying is a serious matter, whether we like it or
not. If the teenagers do not think that they can handle the situation on their
own, there is no harm in asking for help. They can find help in a variety of
places, even within their own family.
These are the
ways that we can recommend to prevent bullying:
·
Engage Parents and Youth
It is
important for everyone in the community to work together to send a unified
message against bullying. Launch an awareness campaign to make the objectives
known to the school, parents, and community members.
Establish a school safety committee or task force to plan, implement, and
evaluate your school's bullying prevention program.
·
Create Policies and Rules
Create a
mission statement, code of conduct, school-wide rules, and a bullying reporting
system. These establish a climate in which bullying is not acceptable.
Disseminate and communicate widely.
·
Build a Safe Environment
Establish a
school culture of acceptance, tolerance and respect. Use staff meetings,
assemblies, class and parent meetings, newsletters to families, the school
website, and the student handbook to establish a positive climate at school.
Reinforce positive social interactions and inclusiveness.
• Educate Students and School Staff
The build is bullying prevention
material into the curriculum and school activities. Train teachers and staff on
the school’s rules and policies. Give them the skills to intervene consistently
and appropriately.
Think
carefully before you insult somebody, for who they really are, at least they’re
open about it. A bully tries to attract the attention of others in a negative
manner. That’s why bullying is a serious matter and should be dealt with. Our
words have power so that we need to use them wisely. No one deserves to feel
worthless, so we need to prevent, or rather, stop bullying.
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