Bullying

By, Brian Nummy

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: What are different Kinds of

Bullying?

Chapter 2: What are the Effects of Bullying?

Chapter 3: What Motivates the Bully?

Chapter 4: Who are Bystanders?

Chapter 5: How Can You Help?

Introduction

Imagineyourselfgoingtoschooleveryday.Onyourwalktothebus
peoplearechasingyouandtryingtohurtyou.Onthebuspeoplepunch
youandcallyouanidiotandadork.Youareinahallwaywalkingtoyour
nextclassandsomeonegrabsyourbagandstealsclassworkandrips
pagesoutofyourmathbook.Youtellateacherbuttheydon'tthinkit's
important.Thebellringsandyourunoutofschooltryingtoavoida
personandgetonthebustohidefromhim.Hefindsyouandcallsyoua
wussfortryingtohideandsmacksyouonthehead.Yougetoffthebus
andsprinttoyourhousebeingchasedbyaherdofkids.Youbarelymake
ittoyourhouseandyouarewinded.Yourparentsaskyouwhyyouhave
bruisesandscars.Youtellthemyouwerebeingbulliedandtheyrespond,
itisanormalpartofgrowingup,dontletitgettoyou.Thenextdayyou
repeatthissamething.Youjustwentthroughwhatadayofmorethan3.2
millionkidsis.

What are Different Kinds of Bullying?

Therearemultipletypesofbullying.Oneisphysicalbullying,
anotherisverbalbullying,alsocyberbullying,andthelastisfriendship
bullying.

Physical bullying

Physicalbullying:hitting,kicking,orpushingsomeoneorevenjust
threateningtodoitStealing,hidingorruiningsomeone'sthingsalsois
physicalbullying.AlexLibbywasaboywhowasavictimofbullyingevery
day.Onthebusridestoandfromschoolhewasphysicallyhurt.Hecame
homewithbruises,andscars.Whatmanypeoplemaythinkisthatthe
mostcommonformofbullyingisphysicalbullyingbutyouwouldbe
surprised.Verbalandfriendshipbullyingarecommonaswell.

Verbal bullying

Verbalbullying:Namecalling,
teasing
,and
insulting.Verbalbullyinghappenswaymore
oftenthenitshould.Ithappenseveryday,and
peopleallarounddoit.Youmayjustthinkitis
coolsenseyouarefriendsoryouknowthe
person,butitisstillbullyinganditcanhurt
someone.AlexLibbywasalsocalledbadnames
andbadwordsthatcanbepainful.Accordingto
bullyingstatistics,77%ofbullyingisverbal
bullying.

Cyber bullying

Cyberbullyingismostlyverbalbullyingexceptitisontechnology.
Youcouldsendsomeoneanemailortextsayingsomethingmean,oran
insultabouttheperson.Cyberbullyingiscommon.Accordingto
scholasticnewsforkids43%ofpeopleinterviewedsaidthattheyhave
beencyberbullyinginthepast12months.

Relationship bullying

Relationshipbullying:Refusingtotalktosomeone,spreadingliesor
rumors
aboutsomeone,andmakingsomeonedothingsheorshe
doesn'twanttodo.AlexLibbyhadalotoffriendswhenhewasyounger,
butthenonepersonstartedtobullyhim.Whenallofhisfriendssawit
theythoughttheywouldgetbulliediftheyhungoutwithhim.Sothey
becamebulliesandstartedtobullyhim.Friendshipbullyingisimportantto
keepinmindbecauseyoumaythinkthatyoudon'tdoitbutitiseasyto
slipyourmindthatitisstillbullying.

What are the Effects of Bullying?

Whenapersonisbullieditmakesthemfeelhorrible.Theycanfeel
scared,hurt,andsad.Somepeoplearesoscaredthattheydon'teven
wanttostepoutofthereownhome.Somepeopleevencommitsuicide.
Suicideisthethirdleadingcauseofdeathamongyoungpeople,resulting
inabout4,400deathsperyear,accordingtotheCDC.Bullyvictimsare
between2to9timesmorelikelytoconsidersuicidethannonvictims,
accordingtostudiesbyYaleUniversity.Peoplefeelsobadwhentheyget
bulliedtheydon'tevenwanttogotoschool.Accordingtobullying
statisticsapproximately160,000teensskipschooleverydaybecauseof
bullying.Soifsomeoneisgettingbulliedrealizewhattheyarefeelingand
thenputanendtoit.

Emotional pain

Acommonnegativeeffectfrombullyingisemotionalpain.Emotional
painusuallyconsistsofselfesteem/selfimageproblems,depression,
andgettinganyemotionalfeelingthatisbad.Selfesteem/selfimage
problemshavetodowhenapersonisfeelingbadaboutthemselves
beinginsecureorunconfidentaboutthemselves.Depressionisalong
lastingsadness,whereyouwithdrawfromothersTeenhelp.comstates
that20%ofteensdevelopdepressionduetobullying.

Self harm

Anothernegativebullyingeffectisselfharm.Selfharmiswhena
personiscausingintentionalharmtothemselves.Mostcommonself
harmsarecuttinganddevelopinganeatingdisorder.Cuttingiswhenyou
cutyourselfwithasharpobjectintentionally.Itsupposedlytakes
emotionalpainaway,andturnsitintophysicalpain.Scottcouseling.com
statesthat,in1in5femalesand1in7malescutthemselvesbecauseof
bullying.Also,90%ofselfharmareduringteenyearsoryounger.Eating
disordersareacommonselfharmlinkedtobullying.State.scstatesthat
themostcommoncauseofeatingdisordersisselfconsciousnessof
weightfrombullying.EightmillionAmericanshaveaneatingdisorder
1200haveanorexia,2200havebulimia,andonly110gettreatment.
Selfharmisamajornegativeeffectofbullying
.

Bullycide

Theworstnegativeeffectofbullyingis
bullycide
.Bullycideiswhen
someonecommitssuicideduetobullying.Bullyingstatistics.orgstatesthat
bullycidehasincreased50%inthelast3years,amongadolescents.
Makingsuicidetheleadingcauseofdeathfor14yearoldsandyounger.
Stopbullycide.comrecordedthat270children(ages1014)committed
bullycideinthepastyear.Asyoucantell,bullycideinanincreasing
problemthatneedstostop.Itistheworst,negativeeffectofbullying.
Nooneshouldhavetodealwithbullying,andgothroughits
negativeeffects.Asifbullyingwasntbadenough,bullyinghasmany
negativeeffectsontheirvictimssuchas,emotionalpain,selfharm,and
bullycide.Ithinktheeffectsofbullyingcouldpossiblybeworsethan
bullyingitself.Theonlywaytostoptheeffects,ittostopthebullyingI
wantbullyingtoend,andfortheeffecttoendtoo,becauseifnobodytries
toputanendtoitthebullywillthinkthatitisokandwillcouldruinthe
livesofmanymorepeople.

What Motivates the Bully?

Bulliesalwaysbullysomeoneforareasonorpurpose.Maybeitis
becausetheywanttobepopular,ortogetmorepower.Theyalwayspick
atargetthatiseasiertopickon,likeiftheyweresmall,andweak.Ithink
thatmaybewhenpeoplearefeelingsad,lonely,angry,andmadand
everyoneelseishavingagoodtimetheyfeelthatthewaytogetback
feelinghappy,andmakehimfeelbetteristonotbringhimself/herselfup
towhereeveryoneelseis,buttobringothersdowntofeelhisorhers
samepain.Mostbulliesbullyotherkidsforattentionortogetmore
popular.Alsoanothercommonreasontheybullyisbecausetheywantto
havemorepowerandtheythinkthatpickingonsomeoneelsegivesthem
power.Somekidsfamiliesalsomaybehavingahardtimeorthere'salso
lotsofargumentsattherehouse.Somebulliesmightnotknowhowmuch
theiractionsarehurtingotherpeople.Pickonpeoplethattheyknowthat
can'tstickupforthemselvesorakidthatgetsupseteasier.Theseare
somereasonswhykidsmaybully.

Family Risk factors for bullying

Alackofwarmthandinvolvementonthepartofparents.
Overlypermissiveparenting(includingalackoflimitsforchildrens
behavior).Alackofsupervisionbyparents.Harsh,physicaldiscipline.
Parentmodelingofbullyingbehavior.Victimizationbyolderbrothers.

Peer Risk factors for bullying

Friendswhobully.Friendswhohavepositiveattitudesabout
violence.Someaggressivechildrenwhotakeonhighstatusrolesmay
usebullyingasawaytoenhancetheirsocialpowerandprotecttheir
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prestigewithpeers.Somechildrenwithlowsocialstatusmayusebullying
asawaytodeflecttauntingandaggressionthatisdirectedtowardsthem,
ortoenhancetheirsocialpositionwithhigherstatuspeers.

Other Factors

Bullyingthrivesinschoolswherefacultyandstaffdonotaddress
bullying,wherethereisnopolicyagainstbullying,andwherethereislittle
supervisionofstudentsespeciallyduringlunch,bathroombreaks,and
recess.

Modelsofbullyingbehaviorareprevalentthroughoutsociety,especiallyin
television,movies,andvideogames.Childrenbecomefriendswithothers
whoaresimilartothemorwhohavequalitiesorcharacteristicsthatin
somewaysupporttheirownbehaviors.Forteenagegirls,social
aggressioncanbeawayofcreatingexcitementoralleviatingboredom.It
isalsousedasamethodofgainingattentionfromothergirlsinorderto
securefriendships.

Who are Bystanders?

Bystanders
areimportanttobullying.Theycanchangethe
outcomeofwhatthebullydoesinoneact.Theimportantthingaboutthat
isthattheysometimesdon'tmakethesituationbettertheycanalsomake
itworse.Therearetwotypesofbystandershelpfulandhurtful.

Hurtful bystander

Ahurtfulbystandersometimeswillinstigatethebullybytellinghim
tostart.Othertimesahurtfulbystanderwillencouragethebullyby
laughing,cheering,ormakingcommentsthatgivethebullymorepower
andconfidence.Otherswilljumpinandhelpthebullyandgivehima
sidekick.Evenbystandersthataredoingnothingandjustwatchingare
exactlylikethebullybecausethey'renotdoinganythingaboutthe
bullying.
Helpful bystander

Helpfulbystandersusuallydiscouragethebully,orhelpthevictim.
Othertimestheystanduptothebullyortellanadultthatsomeone's
beingbullied.Helpfulbystanderscanchangebullyingforever,theycan
stopthebullyfromcontinuingtopickonkids.Sodon'tbeahurtful
bystanderbeahelpfulone
.

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How Can You Help?

Ifyouseeanyformofbullyingorsomeonebeingmeantoanyone
reportittoanadult,teacher,orsomeoneyoutrust.Ifyouseesomeone
thatis
gossiping
standupandstopitimmediately.Ifsomeoneisdownor
sadmakethemfeelbetter.Youdon'thavetomakehim/heryourbest
friend,asimplecomplimentcanmakesomeone'sday.
Standupforothers.
Whenyouseebullying,therearesafethingsyoucandotomakeit
stop.Talktoaparent,teacher,oranotheradultyoutrust.Adultsneedto
knowwhenbadthingshappensotheycanhelp.Bekindtothekidbeing
bullied.Showthemthatyoucarebytryingtoincludethem.Sitwiththem
atlunchoronthebus,talktothematschool,orinvitethemtodo
something.Justhangingoutwiththemwillhelpthemknowtheyarent
alone.Notsayinganythingcouldmakeitworseforeveryone.Thekidwho
isbullyingwillthinkitisoktokeeptreatingothersthatway.Somakesure
thatyouareatleastdoingthemostyoucanatanytimetohelpstop
bullying.Itisimportantforthebullytoknowwhatheisdoingwrong.That
onetaskcansavealotofpeoplefrombeingbullied.Acorrdingto
bullyingstatistics.org30%ofkidsinAmericaareinvolvedinbullyingona
regularbasiseitheras,abully,victims,orboth.Thatiswaytoomuch.
Dontyouwantthatnumbertobeat0%.
Afterallthosefactsyouwouldthinkthatalotofpeoplearetryingto
stopbullyingbutyouwouldbesurprised.Oneinfourteacherssee
nothingwrongwithbullyingandwillonlyintervene4%ofthetime
accordingtobullyingstatistics.Canyoubelievethat,Ithinkthatitis
horriblethatoneinfourteachersseenothingwrongwithbullyingandwill
onlyintervene4%.Sobeahelpfulbystander,notahurtfulbystander.
Bullyinghasincreasedovertheyearsanditwillonlykeepongoingup.
Withyourhelpthenumberwillstartdecreasingandlessandlesskidswill
bebullied.

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Ibetyoudidntknowthatallstates,eventheoneyouliveinhave
lawsandpoliciesaboutbullying.Sobullyinginsomestatesisactuallya
crime.Therearepeoplethatcanhelpstopbullyinginyourstateandyou
canbeoneofthem.

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Conclusion

Sowhywouldyouneedtoknowallthisaboutbullying?Youneedto
beinformedaboutbullyingsothatyoucanmakeactionsthatwillenditfor
good.Youcantellyourfriendspeersandfamilyandspreadtheword.
Makesmallorbigactionstowardendingbullying.WhetherItisstanding
uptoabully,ortellingateachersotheteacheroradultcanmakeitstop.
Theworstthingistodonothingandstandandwatchthebully,hurting
someone.Thatoneactioncangoalongway,itcanharmatleastten
otherkids.Whenyoudon'tdoanythingyouarelettingakidsufferthrough
bullyingandmanymore.Ifyoudon'ttellthebullytostop,heorshewill
keepbullying.Sodon'tjuststandthereandwatch,helpstopbullying!

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Glossary

Bullycide
:Suicidecausedfrombullying.

Bystander
:Apersonthatispresentbutnotinvolved/spectator.

Rumors
:Astoryorstatementaboutsomethingorsomeonethatmayor
maynotbetrue.

Teasing
:
Toirritateorprovokewithpersistentannoyance.

Gossiping
:Talkingandspreadingrumorsaboutsomeonespersonaland
privatelife.

Sources
Scholastic.com

Pbs

http://www.stopbullying.gov/kids/whatyoucando/#bullied

http://kidshealth.org/kid/grow/school_stuff/bullies.html

http://www.eyesonbullying.org/bystander.html

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