Argumentative Outline

Thesis Statement: ​Being a narcissist, having insecurities, and experiencing traumatic events

can shape a bully; while depression, low self-esteem, and suicide are the results of being bullied

I. Broad main point 1 supporting your thesis: Many things may cause a person to

become a bully.

A. Narcissistic behavior

1. Signs of a bully

1. Egotistical

2. Self conscience

3. Self doubt

2. Target choice

1. Keeps bully’s self esteem high

2. Helps bully feel better about themselves

3. Inability to cope

1. Guardian vs. Child (ren) at home

2. Becoming distant

B. Types of bullying
 1. Verbal abuse

2. Physical abuse

3. Cyberbullying

1. Involvement of females

4. Stalking

C. ​Traumatic experiences

1. Home life

2. Sexual assault

3. Abuse issues

II. Broad main point 2 supporting your thesis: There are many effects of a person

being bullied.

A. Negative effect on victim

1. Depression

1. Drugs

2. Anorexia

3. Also become a bully

2. Stealing

3. Suicide
 B. Long term effects

1. Mental health issues

2. Recurrences of remembering

3. Continuance of being bullied

Gina Edwards

English IV

Mr. Cullen

November 20, 2018

The Bully and the Victims

Have you or anyone you know ever been a victim of bullying? It has become a popular

norm in teens and adolescents to either be a bully or become a victim of bullying. There are

factors in a person’s life that can influence someone to become a bully. Sometimes when a bully

is caught up in their problems, they do not realize their actions or even the impact they are

having on others. Being a narcissist, having insecurities, and experiencing traumatic events can

shape a bully; while depression, low self-esteem, and suicide are the results of being bullied.

While living day to day, a person may run into someone who is self conceited.

Sometimes when a person is obsessed over themself, they bully those who tend to be different

because a person may not live up to their standards. Although a bully may be egotistic, they can

also have a low self-esteem and self doubt. The researchers in an article posted in 2010, stated
that “Bullies mean behavior toward others keep their self esteem high because it takes their own

and others attention away from the parts of themselves about which they are ashamed.” While a

person sees shameful traits within themselves, bullies will lash out and speak negative comments

to someone just to make him/her self-image better. A person who is a bully tend to choose their

targets accordingly to those who lack confidence in themselves, making victims feel that much

more flawed and unloved. This, in turn, causes victims of bully to become depressed, low

self-confidence, and can even cause them to think about suicide. These bullies feel that they

should be on top and so they attack others so they can feel better about themselves, and this

would give them the higher self esteem they have. Bullies lower others so they can feel better

about themselves and the few flaws they feel they do have. Also, people with higher self esteem

bully others to keep others away from them, that way they won’t realize the flaws that the bullies

have so they can’t be bullied themselves. While these bullies have a high self esteem, they feel

more confident about themselves when they lower the self esteem of others, and this allows the

bullies to feel that nobody will be able to fit their standards they have made for themselves. Most

bullies target those who may have less friends than anyone around them. As this may cause the

victims to have lower self esteem, because they don’t have friends to defend them and they feel

more defenseless than others. The relationships that young people have with their peers also

defines their low self esteem. Young people base their confidence and self esteem on their

relationships with their peers, and for someone to bully them, their confidence and self esteem is

lowered, because that’s how their peers feel towards them, they don’t feel wanted by them.

Therefore, this causes bullies to have more self confidence and a higher self esteem, because it
allows them to have others focused on their own flaws, not the bullies, allowing the bullies to

feel better about him/her own self.

Not only will having problems with one’s self esteem cause a person to become a bully,

but so will that person’s home life. Those facing such problems may not know how to cope these

situations properly. In some cases, this is true for bullies which causes them to lash out on others

causing them to feel the pain the bully is feeling. For example, if the parents of the bully are

abusing them, they in turn abuse other people, by hitting them, throwing them or their belongings

around, and many other ways, just to take it out on someone else. While bullies do this to other

people, it can cause the victims to become depressed, and even in some cases, want to do the

same hurtful things to others. Another way bullies take it out on others is by verbally abusing

them. The bullies say hurtful things to people causing them to feel unworthy, unwanted, and feel

like wanting to end their life. Many victims of bullying end up committing suicide due to the

feeling the bully causes them to feel. Also, some bullies may even experience their parents

yelling mean things at each other and hitting each other, so they think it is okay to do to others.

This is true for the bullies being abused by their parents. When a kid is abused by their parents, it

allows them to think that behavior is acceptable. This causes the child to treat his/her peers

poorly since they believe those actions are acceptable. Also when a kid is abused by their

parents, it allows them to feel stronger around others, so they lower the others by abusing them

how they have been treated. Many people that are victims of bullying have a long term effect of

depression and not feeling as if they are ever good enough for anyone nor anything. Some bullies

do not realize that they are taking their pain out on others. A child will spend their entire life

searching for their parents approval and support. There may come a time in a guardian’s life
when the stress of their responsibilities become overwhelming. This may cause them to lash out

on their child or even become very distant. Parents that have unrealistic expectations may also

lead to an adolescent to be a bully. Sometimes no matter how much a child will compete to

please their parents they will never be able to. For example, if a student is losing sleep over

studying and getting straight A’s but gets a B instead, they may get punished. A parent may be

this way toward their child because of their own personal insecurities.

Everyone has insecurities about themselves, but some do not know how to cope with

them. Those who are unable to cope with their insecurities will use that as fuel to being a bully.

A person being a bully due to insecurities will pick out flaws in someone and use those things to

make themselves look better. According to Caroline Thrussell from (hercampus.com), “A bully

has to be so insecure that they don’t want to even focus on themself and instead, resort to picking

on other people.” By ignoring their own insecurities, a person will use these feelings to go

against others. Often times, a bully will get their group of friends involved in picking on others.

For example, in high school a group of girls may pick on another girl who does not have the

same style of clothing or hair. Friends will often times follow along in order to impress the

instigator of the bullying. When a group is targeting someone, the impact it causes is greater.

With girls, the bullying does not just stop with verbal. Typically a girl will go as far as cyber

bullying and possibly even stalking. “10 to 14 year old girls may beat even higher risk for

suicide” claims (bullyingstatistics.org.) Teenage girls tend to be judgemental. Not all girls are the

same. Some girls want to be princesses while others would rather be covered in mud. Those who

believe they are much better than others will make comments according to appearances and

because they are different than others.

 Bullying has a negative effect on a person. It causes someone such unhappiness that they

will start to cut themselves off from family, friends, and even activities. According to

(healthline.com), “Depression is the most common health illness in the United States, affecting

about 26 percent of adults.” Someone suffering from this illness will start showing signs by

sleeping more often or shutting themselves off from the world. The comments made towards a

bullied victim will constantly echo inside of their head leading them that much further into

depression. Those suffering from this illness will often turn to drugs to numb themselves from

their pain. The use of drugs will make them feel better, but the addiction will slowly damage

their body. Drugs can cause anorexia or even eat away teeth. Not only does it affect health, but it

also damages family relationships. Those suffering from addiction will go as far as to stealing

personal items from friends, family, or even strangers. Once these things are obtained, they will

pawn or even trade for whatever drug they are addicted to. Depression may also lead to suicide.

“Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims” says

(bullyingstatistics.org.) This website also states that “A study in Great Britain found that at least

half of suicides among young people are related to bullying”. A person will result to suicide

when all hope is lost. Suicide result to someone taking their life, but it impacts that person’s

family in an extreme way. According to (stopbullying.gov), “When adults respond quickly and

consistently to bullying behavior they send the message that it is not acceptable. Research shows

this can stop bullying behavior over time.” If adults were more aware to the way children were

acting towards others, bullying could be prevented that much further. As times are changing and

parents are slowing becoming more aware, there are laws that are being written in order to
protect children. Although, laws may have decreased the numbers of being bullied, people are

too judgemental and competitive for it to disappear completely.

One suffering from being egotistical, self-consciousness, and damaging life events will

lead to becoming a bully, causing a victim unhappiness, self-doubt, and life threatening thoughts.

While the bullies may or may not be happy with themselves, they still cause the victims to fall

into depression. Doing this allows the victims to not be happy and makes them feel as if they are

not wanted in the world. In many situations, the victims can be surrounded by friends and family,

and yet still feel alone. This leads to the many suicides and even drug overdoses. This is because

the bullies push the victims to the point of not wanting to live anymore, because they can not

handle the way the bullies treat them. In some cases, the bully does not realize what they are

doing to the victims and are not aware of how they may be feeling. Many bullies target the

people that do not “fit in” with others and the ones that look as if they are “different” than the

people around them. The victims who appear “weak” allow the bullies to continue on by

showing them how they are affecting them. These victims feel as if they cause all the problems,

such as problems at home, work, or school, and they highly depend on adults for help. Even

though many victims of bullying suffer while they are young, depression and recurrences of

remembering how they were bullied, linger with them as they mature into adulthood. Stated in

the article, “Bullying and depression: The Long term Effects on Kids and Teens”, “In fact, one

study has found that some people who were bullied as children are still experiencing mental

health issues 40 years after being bullied.” While a person is bullied as they are younger, as they

get older and more mature they are still affected mentally and emotionally by the past. In some

cases, those who are bullied while they are young, may still be bullied when they are older. By
paying more attention to the signs of bullying and being bullied, it can prevent the negative

outcome that follows.

Works Cited:

Bauer, Mary. “What Causes Parents to Abuse Their Child?” LIVESTRONG.COM, Leaf Group,

13 June 2017, ​www.livestrong.com/article/142315-what-causes-parents-abuse-their-child/​.

“Bullying and Suicide.” Bullying Statistics, 7 July 2015,

www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html.

“Dealing With Bullying.” Edited by D'Arcy Lyness, ​KidsHealth​, The Nemours Foundation, July

2013, kidshealth.org/en/teens/bullies.html.

“Eyes on Bullying: What YOU Can Do to Prevent and Stop Bullying at Camp” by Kim Storey,

Ed.D., May 2010.

Thrussell, Caroline. “Bullying Stems From Insecurity.” Her Campus, Caroline Thrussor, 3 Nov.

2016, ​www.hercampus.com/school/ucf/bullying-stems-insecurity​.

Government, U.S. “StopBullying.gov.” StopBullying.gov, Department of Health and Human

Services, www.stopbullying.gov/.