Causes and Consequences of Bullying

Causes and Consequences of Bullying

Introduction

Bullying is a fairly common phenomenon and is premised on our culture of power which fosters a feeling of superiority by dominating others. Three primary aspects of bullying include repeated as opposed to a one off incident, intentional which includes a conscious desire to humiliate or subjugate another and power difference which covers the aspect of superiority. (Measuring and Changing a "Culture of Bullying)

Apart from the obvious physical damage often inflicted on victims of bullying, the psychological and emotional scars left on the mind are more profound. By harming the confidence, self esteem and security of a child's vulnerable psyche, it not only affects the personality and performance in the present but also disrupts the character building and personality development which has more serious long term repercussions for the victims of bullying. Of increasing concern are also the consequences for the perpetrators of bullying and how it encourages them to develop these behavioral patterns which adopt bullying in all their interactions and endeavors.

Thus, bullying has become a matter of grave concern for parents, school staff, legislators, policy makers and mental health professionals as they attempt to understand the underlying causes behind bullying, develop methods to define and measure the scale and extent of bullying, study its effects and consequences and lastly, develop solutions to contain, control and eliminate bullying. However, efforts to do so are hampered by the fact that most incidents of bullying are not reported by the victims. Relational Aggression in Schools: Implications for Future Research on Screening Intervention and Prevention)

Causes of Bullying

Research has attempted to identify and analyze the reasons which lead to bullying. Many different factors and influences have been cited as contributing to greater chances of a child developing the propensity to develop a mentality which spurs him on to bully his peers.

Studies have found that parental characteristics which shape the way children are raised and what characteristics and values are inculcated in them significantly affect both bullies and victims. Children are keen observes and have the ability to subconsciously absorb the values which they see practiced around them. Thus, a child who grows up witnessing the pattern of aggression and subjugation such as name calling, abuse, ridicule or violence towards weaker member of the household in the family's interactions tends to imbibe those values as well. These are then projected in their relations with others around them as they try to dominate those perceived to be less powerful, physically or mentally, than them. Furthermore, children who experience strict parenting coupled with excessive punishments are more prone to being aggressive. Analyzing the family structures and styles of bullies, studies show that most bullies tend to come from households characterized by child abuse, lack of parental involvement or attachment, poorly managed conflict resolution and a culture built along the lines of 'survival of the fittest'. However, bullies are never successful without victims to tolerate their aggression and the character patterns which are usually observed in victims are that they belong to households where parents adopt more controlling, protective styles of child rearing. This renders a lack of confidence and dependency on the child which translates into a meek, tolerant attitude towards even forms of physical or verbal violence such as bullying. In addition, the child is more likely to have gotten in the habit of seeking the approval of the parents and fear loss of face or exposure if they report incidents of bullying.

Another cause of bullying is deemed to be favoritism by teachers and academic success. The rat race perpetuated in our schools where a person is judged according to others' opinion of him is another cause behind bullying. In a culture which represses individuality and fosters insecurities, children who are perceived as favorites of teachers and earning the typical accolades of success such as higher grades and praise are viewed with jealousy by their peers. Those, typically labeled as stupid or failures, tend to avenge these labels by resorting to bullying as a means of showing their superiority over those who they consider as more intelligent and more successful than them. Thus, it is a way of victims lashing out at those who foster the feelings of poor self esteem and inadequacy in them by bullying them to boost their own self image and showing their physical or social superiority as opposed to the mental superiority these children are supposed to possess. This is also done by labeling the academically successful children as 'nerds', 'geeks' or 'teacher's pets'.

Conversely, children who enjoy social success and popularity in schools also resort to bullying as one of the trappings of power which they are entitled to. Thus, the right to bully and humiliate others is perceived as a natural privilege conferred on them as a result of their higher status. These feelings of superiority engender in them a misplaced notion of self worth which makes them consider others as somehow less human and less deserving of those feelings of security and high self esteem which they themselves enjoy. Ironically, these arise out of a child's over confidence or misplaced confidence although deep rooted, inherent insecurities can be attributed.

Consequences

Studies show that students who engage in bullying activities or are victims of bullying are more likely to experience a social disconnect with others around them. They feel less secure, have problems relating to others around them and usually feel a sense of isolation. These lead to repression manifested in the bullies' inability to articulate themselves through any other means other than bullying others to express their feelings of insecurity and/or superiority as well as the victims' reluctance or fear to report instances of bullying which they perceive to further compound the problem of bullying or lead to an even lower esteem in front of others.

For many adults who regard bullying as the normal teething stage for adolescents, a part of growing up and a normal result of the different personalities and conflict resolution methods of children, fail to perceive the harmful short and long term consequences. Bullying is not merely a stage which children go through, nor is it something they will outgrow over time. It is a deep and complex problem which needs to be tackled immediately and forcefully in order to curb these tendencies which children