Have you ever been laughed at or picked on because of the way you looked, dressed, or for the things you liked? If you answered yes to that question, then you can relate to the millions of adults and children alike that are bullied day in and day out. Bullying can present itself in many different forms such as; physical, social, verbal, and cyberbullying. While the severity and duration of bullying may differ per person, the effects are the same for a lot of them. While some people are able to move past the bullying that they endure, other people are not so fortunate and deal with lifelong social problems. In the article, ‘Overlapping Verbal, Relational, Physical, and Electronic Forms of Bullying in Adolescence: Influence of School Context,’ it states that, “bullying represents a significant public health concern, as it is one of the most common forms of victimization experienced by adolescents.”
The first area of bullying that we will focus on is cyberbullying. Unlike traditional bullying that occurs face-to-face, cyberbullying can happen at almost any location due to access to cell phones and computers. The platforms which facilitate cyberbullying include social media websites, text messages, emails, and blogs. What is cyberbullying exactly? In the article, “Cyber Bullying: The Public School Response” written by Charles R. Waggoner, Waggoner provides examples of cyberbullying. Waggoner states that cyberbullying can consist of, “sending mean messages or threats to a person’s email or cell phone, spreading rumors through texts” and “posting hurtful or mean messages on social networking sites” (Waggoner 2016). As we all know, the Internet is unforgiving and infinite. Once something has been posted online, it’s virtually impossible to find the source and delete it indefinitely. This makes it easier for bullies to re-access their posts and continue to harass their victims. People are also able to post anonymously, making it even more difficult to find the origin of the post. With a large online audience, cyberbullying has the ability to destroy its victims. Waggoner states, “This inability to escape the cruel attack may leave victims feeling hopeless, anxious, depressed and stressed. The hurt caused by cyberbullying can marinate over time and impact the view that the person has of him or herself” (Waggoner 2016). Unfortunately, it can also lead to suicide. Suicide due to cyberbullying has been coined the term ‘cyberbullicide’. To help with the issue of cyberbullying, I believe it’s best that we educate our children of the effects that bullying can have. Also, constant monitoring of phones and social media accounts may help detect the early stages of bullying.
The second area of bullying that we will focus on is social bullying. As we questioned what is cyberbullying, we can ask ourselves, what is social bullying? Sally Fitzpatrick and Kay Bussey, writers of the article, “The Development of the Social Bullying Involvement Scales,” claim that social bullying, “refers to behaviors that intentionally damage a victim’s self-esteem and social status” (Fitzpatrick, Bussey 2011). What does that include? It can include but is not limited to, excluding someone from social groups or situations, rumors that could harm someone’s reputation, or threatening to ruin friendships and relationships. An example of this is in grade school, a child is not accepted into a group and therefore cannot hang out with them on the playground. Social bullying typically has a greater effect on girls. As children age and move to a higher grade level, a sense of importance or popularity is essential to their reputation. Children and teens often believe that making a name for their self and being labeled a “bully” will bring them more popularity. Bullies will often repeatedly target their victim to maintain their high social reputation. It’s no surprise that social bullying victims suffer from social anxiety and depression. Fitzpatrick and Bussey do not focus solely on the victim of social bullying, but also on the people that witness it. Fitzpatrick and Bussey state, “Bullying is not limited to a dyadic interaction between the victim and bully. Other students are present when bullying occurs” (Fitzpatrick, Bussey 2011). While most children claim not to intervene when they see someone being picked on, they often suffer from the effects of seeing it. The article states, “It was predicted that witnessing social bullying would result in increased social anxiety and depressive symptoms” (Fitzpatrick, Bussey 2011). It is this form of bullying where intervention education would be relevant. Teachers and students alike could step in when social bullying is present. Do children isolate themselves? Do they tend to shy away from group activities? These may be indicators of social bullying.
Next, our topic of focus switches to verbal bullying. The article, “Verbal Abuse in Schools and Its Devastating Impact on Child Psychology” written by Parveen and Wasal Khan, explains what verbal bullying entails and its effects. The article claims that verbal abuse, “includes threats, offensive language, comments with harsh words, use of swear words, yelling, shouting, teasing” and “ridiculing” (Khan 2014). While this article focuses on verbal bullying in Pakistan, the information relates to verbal bullying in America. This is a good example that bullying isn’t centralized in America, it happens all over the world. Verbal abuse doesn’t occur just between students, it occurs between students and teachers as well. Khan states that, “it was found that approximately one-quarter of students reported that they become target of verbal abuse by their teachers” (Kahn 2014). Boys often feel this effect greater than girls. While verbal abuse might not leave visible scars, it harms the child psychologically. Victims typically suffer from depression, mental stress, emotional instability, and no longer have the desire to attend school. Khan states, “The victim of a verbally abusive person slowly loses herself. The child becomes hollow before we realize how awful life become” (Khan 2014). Additionally, victims of verbal abuse show a lack of curiosity and imagination. Knowing these signs can help us identify from the beginning that a child is being verbally abused. What can we do to stop verbal abuse? Encourage children to maintain a good relationship with an adult. If a child feels comfortable with an adult, they are able to let someone know if they are the target of bullying. Schools can develop workshops or interventions to help students and teachers know when to step in.
The fourth and final area of bullying that we are going to discuss is physical bullying. While most of us can easily guess what physically bullying consists of, some of us might not be aware. It includes being pushed, pinched, pulled around, and kicked. In the article, “Bullying in Schools: why it happens, how it makes young people feel and what we can do about it” writers Jeremy Side and Kelly Johnson focus on actual abused students. In the article, Side and Johnson interview eight school-aged children about being physically abused at school. Throughout the interview, the children are asked to explain why they thought they were the target of abuse. A common theme in the interview answers was that each student was picked on for their appearance. The students believed that if they were taller, skinnier, or had smaller facial features that they would’ve ‘fit in’ better with their peers. Side and Johnson state, “The bullying as they saw it was not about the one who bullied them, rather, it was something they felt was different about themselves” (2014). Six of the eight participants go on to explain that the verbal abuse shifted into physically bullying. This shows us that abuse may start out in one form and slowly progress into another form. What are the effects of physical bullying? It can lead to anxiety, depression, and in the worst cases, suicide. The article claims, “the participants identified that the act of being bullied was itself an isolating experience” (Side, Johnson 2014). Looking out for bruises, cuts, and scrapes on children as well. What can we do to help this kind of harassment? Education, intervention, and discouraging rough behavior. Adults and students need to maintain a healthy relationship, leaving an area of trust open to talk if needed.
Contrary to widespread belief, bullying does have long last impacts on a victim. While some children do age and grow out of the bullying that they endured, for some children, it holds with them. As we seen over the last four topics, bullying can cause depression, anxiety, social isolation, a sense of losing oneself, and in the worst cases, suicide. Often it's not easy to spot that a child is the victim of bullying. Children are less apt to open up to adults about their feelings due to embarrassment. Knowing the signs of harassment and abuse can lead to more significant discussions with children, and hopefully, move us in the right direction as a society to end bullying.