Information AboutBullying |
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A bully is an individual, thought to be possibly emotionally dysfunctional, who Torment s others through verbal Harassment , physical Assault , or other more subtle methods of Coercion . THE BEHAVIOR ENGAGED IN BY BULLIES: BULLYING In colloquial speech, bullying is most often used to describe a form of Harassment perpetrated by a Child who is in some way more powerful than a weaker Peer . Researchers accept generally that bullying contains three essential elements: “(1) the behavior is aggressive and negative; (2) the behavior is carried out repeatedly; and (3) the behavior occurs in a relationship where there is an imbalance of power between the parties involved.” {Link without Title} Bullying is broken into two categories: 1) direct bullying, and 2) indirect bullying, also known as social aggression. {Link without Title} Direct bullying is the form most common to male bullies. Social aggression or indirect bullying is most common to female bullies and young children, and is characterized by forcing the victim into social isolation. This isolation is achieved through a wide variety of techniques, including: spreading gossip, refusing to socialize with the victim, bullying other people who wish to socialize with the victim, and criticizing the victim's manner of dress and other socially-significant markers (including the victim's race, religion, disability, etc). Bullying can occur in situations including in School or college/university, the Workplace , by neighbours, and between Countries (See Jingoism ). Whatever the situation, the power structure is typically evident between the bully and Victim . It seems to those outside the relationship that the bully's power depends only upon the perception of the victim, with the victim being too Intimidated to put up effective resistance. However the victim usually has just cause to be afraid of the bully due to the threat and actually carrying out of physical/sexual violence, or loss of livelihood. Bullying (in addition to ignorance) is behind most claims of Discrimination in the workplace. CHARACTERISTICS OF BULLIES Certain common traits have been postulated. Among these are a need to feel powerful and in control, pleasure at the suffering of others and lack of empathy for others. Bullying behavior is usually considered to be environmental in origin, including physical punishment and abuse in the family of origin, lack of parental warmth, and a culture of violence as a means of resolving problems. Bullies are often antisocial and disobedient. Bullying does not necessarily involve criminality or violence. For example, bullying often operates through psychological or verbal abuse. Other researchers have identified a quickness to anger and the use of force, addiction to aggressive behaviors, mistaking others' actions as hostile, a concern with preserving their self image, and engaging in obsessive or rigid actions. (Hazler, R. J., Carney, J. V., Green, S., Powell, R., & Jolly, L. S. (1997). Areas of Expert Agreement on Identification of School Bullies and Victims. School Psychology International, 18, 3-12.) TYPES OF BULLYING Bullies mainly use a combination of intimidation and humiliation to torment others. The following are some examples of bullying techniques:
LOCATIONS OF BULLYING Bullying can occur in any context in which human beings interact such as in schools, universities, families, between neighbours, and in workplaces. Schools In schools, bullying usually occurs in areas with minimal or no adult supervision. Common places include the school bus, cafeteria, hallways between classes, bathrooms, and the school-yard during recess. An extreme case of school-yard bullying is that of an eighth grader named Curtis Taylor at a middle school in Iowa who had been the victim of continuous bullying for three years, which included name-calling, being bashed into a locker, having chocolate milk poured down his sweatshirt and vandalism of his belongings. This drove him to Suicide on March 21 , 1993 . Some bully experts have termed this extreme reaction " Bullycide ". In the 1990s, the United States saw an epidemic of school shootings (of which the most notorious was the Columbine High School Massacre ). Many of the children behind these shootings claimed that they were the victims of bullies and that they resorted to Violence only after the school administration repeatedly failed to intervene. In many of these cases, the victims of the shooters sued both the shooters' families and the schools. As a result of these trends, schools in many countries strongly discourage bullying, with programs designed to teach students cooperation, as well as training peer Moderator s in Intervention and Dispute Resolution techniques, as a form of Peer Support . Since media coverage has exposed just how widespread bullying is, juries are more likely now to sympathize with victims. In recent years, many victims have been suing bullies directly for Intentional Infliction Of Emotional Distress , and including their school as a defendant under the principle of joint and several liability. American victims and their families have other legal recourse, such as suing a school or teacher for failure to adequately supervise, Civil Rights violations, racial or gender Discrimination or Harassment , or other civil rights violations. Special education students who are victimized may sue a school or school board under the ADA or Section 504 . Bullying in schools (or other institutions of higher education) may also take the form of reduced grading, non-return of assignments, segregation of competent students by incompetent/non-performing teachers, for example, to protect the reputation of a college. This is so that their programmes and internal code of conduct are never questioned, and that parents (usually the ones paying the fees), are made to believe that their children are unable to cope with the course. Typically, these attitudes serve to create the unwritten policy of 'if you're stupid, you don't deserve feedback. if you're good, you don't need it.' Frequently, such institutions (usually in Asian countries) run a franchise programme with foreign (usually Western) institutions with the clause that foreign partners have no say in local grading or codes of conduct of staff involved on the local end. It serves to create a class of 'educated fools', people with degrees who have not learned to adapt to situations and create solutions by asking the right questions and solving problems. Workplace Workplace Bullying occurs at work. According to the Workplace Bullying and Trauma Institute, workplace bullying is: :"the repeated mistreatment of one employee targeted by one or more employees with a malicious mix of humiliation, intimidation and sabotage of performance." Cyberspace Cyber-bullying occurs in electronic space {Link without Title} . According to Bill Belsey, it: :"involves the use of information and communication technologies such as e-mail, cell phone and pager text messages, instant messaging, defamatory personal Web sites, blogs, and defamatory online personal polling Web sites, to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behaviour by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others." Neighborhood Between neighbours, bullying normally takes the form of intimidation by nuisance behaviour, such as excessive noise to disturb sleep and normal living patterns, and reports to authorities such as the police for minor or made up incidents. The purpose of this form of behaviour is to make the victim so uncomfortable they move from their property. Not all nuisance behaviour is bullying: insensitivity can be an explanation. Political Bullying Between Countries occurs when one country decides to impose it's will on another. This is normally done with military force, the threat that aid and grants will not be given to the smaller country or the smaller country will not be allowed to join a trading organisation. NICKNAMES (PLAY ON NAMES) Normally a Nickname is given to somone by a friend due to a unique feature on them. In some cases, this is for a feature the "victim" doesn't want to be broadcasted, such as a mole or obscure shape of a part of the body. In extreme cases teachers can catch on to this, but it is usually perceived as harmless or the jab is too subtle to recognize. People debate if whether the "victim" knows about the name or doesn't is worse. However, a nickname can sometimes become such a embarassment that the "victim" will have to move (either school, house or both). EFFECTS OF BULLYING Persistent bullying may have a number of effects on an individual, and in the environment where bullying takes place. Effects on the individual include:
Effects on a school include:
Effects on the organisation such as a workplace:
FICTIONAL BULLIES
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