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Essay about Bullying
14 years ago
General
For my Child/Adolescent Psychology class I decided to do my Term Paper on bullying. I thought that I'd post it here, perhaps some people may be interested, and I am hoping for some feedback on what I could do to make it better as it is due tomorrow. Sorry for the weird formatting, it looks a lot better on paper, as there are parapgraph spaces xD
Also, feel free to discuss the issue in general. I'm interested in the subject and it's interesting to hear other peoples opinions.
On an unrelated note: I finally picked up my DDR matt and started to play again since I've been feeling a little better. Perhaps this may get me to start playing regularly again like I used to.
Okay here's the essay:
Bullying in Schools
Bullying is a serious problem that has always been around, but has been getting more media attention as of late. Schools are supposed to be a safe place, an environment where a child can learn and grow as a person, but when a child is bullied it hinders their ability to develop and learn, and also scars them for life. For some kids, school is not a safe place, and may even be described as a living hell for them, yet it still continues, sometimes for years. Everyone knows about bullying, but not much has been done to effectively deal with it.
Contrary to popular belief, bullying consists of more than just the easily noticeable physical attacks. Bullying may be defined as “the repeated oppression, physical or psychological, direct or indirect, of a less powerful person by a more powerful person or group where there is always a power imbalance that makes the ill-treatment of the victim possible.” [Sofronoff, Kate, and Elizabeth Dark, and Valerie Stone (2010) p. 1] It can be differentiated from normal conflicts by noting that unlike a normal conflict, bullying is done repeatedly and on purpose, there is only a strong emotional reaction from the victim, and the bully shows no remorse; they blame the victim, saying things such as “they deserved it.” In the past it was believed that only troubled, socially maladjusted kids with low self-esteem were the bullies, but it has been shown that this is not the case. In fact, many bullies have high self-esteem, and are liked by their peers and authority figures. Bullies are master manipulators, and often feign innocence when confronted. Bullying behavior is also frequently encouraged by peers, while unnoticed by adults. Such encouragement makes it more likely to occur. [Snyder, M. nd] Bullying behavior is linked to aggression and desire to be popular, it is not uncommon for popular students to be bullies. It seems that bullies don’t behave that way due to abuse, in fact, evidence seems to show that they do it for the simple reason of “because they can”. [Luscombe, B. 2011] Their perceived strength, popularity, and social prowess allow them to gang up on weaker students; the victims.
Unlike bullies, victims generally have a negative outlook on violence and are not as aggressive. As it turns out, victims have the traits that were once thought to be the profile of a bully; they often suffer from insecurity or low self esteem and tend to be weaker and have less friends than their peers. It is also not just as simple as bully and victim, as it is possible for a child to be both; it is said that around 16 percent of children will be both a bully and a victim at some point in their lives. [Snyder, M. nd] It isn’t uncommon for victims, and peers, to keep quiet about the bullying in fear that it would make the bullying worse, or target them as a victim as well. [Shulkin, J, 2010]
Children with learning disabilities are often targets for bullying, more than their normally developing peers. Often with disabilities, children exhibit emotional and behavioral difficulties, which can pin the child as a target. They also may have difficulties fitting in due to their differences from the other children. As it was mentioned earlier, victims often have low self esteem as well as being physically weaker, they may also be oversensitive or over-react to things, which are traits commonly seen in children with ADHD. [Snyder, M. nd] Autistic children, or children with Asperger’s syndrome, are especially prone to it, due to their social ineptitude and naivety, which has shown to be the biggest reasons children on the spectrum are bullied; they can be tricked into doing things that will get them in trouble, and children take advantage of this. Researchers have also noticed that there are generally two types of children who are victims of bullying: passive targets, who tend to be anxious and solitary, and proactive targets, who tend to be irritating and provocative. These are traits that together are said to create a “single profile of a child with AS (Asperger’s Syndrome)” [Sofronoff, Kate, and Elizabeth Dark, and Valerie Stone (2010) p, 1, 3, 15] Children on the autistic spectrum (including Aspergers), are often perceived as very different from their peers, and are usually not as able to understand the situation or defend themselves as well as normal children do. This has such a profound effect that it is said that 9 out of 10 autistic children are bullied, while it is rarely expressed that an autistic child is a bully, perhaps because of their inability to manipulate. [Heasley, S. 2011]
We all know that students bully, but the teacher’s influence is even bigger than one of another student. They are of a position of authority and are supposed to be role models, yet teachers and their attitudes towards other students, and bullying itself, are a major contributor to bullying. Many people do not believe this, however it is clear that the teachers’ role is huge, occasionally going so far as to bully the students themselves. In fact, many bullies perhaps get away with their behavior because the child knows that they are favored by the teacher, and thus will not experience repressions. Another big reason for the teacher playing a big role, is that students learn from their behavior. The teacher may treat low-performing, non-conforming, non-engaged and just plain different students in a negative manner. The school setting is one that is ruled by fear and conformity, and the teacher may use shaming, humiliation, and teasing as tactics in order to try and force a child to behave to their liking. They believe that bullying is an acceptable form of classroom control, and blame the student for their reluctant behavior, without seeing that they are partially to blame for it. [Page, B. 2007] And as children imitate what they see, they learn to imitate the teacher’s behavior and attitudes. On top of this, children who are in the autistic spectrum, who as mentioned before are already prone to bullying from students, are especially susceptible to bullying from a teacher as well, due to the fact that they are prone to behavioral problems. In one case, a Kindergarten teacher made a child who was in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger’s stand in front of the classroom while telling the students to berate him and insult him. The student was then voted out of the class Survivor-style, 14 to 2. [Wixon, C. 2008] On top of this, many teachers are completely reluctant to do anything about bullying and can have a nonchalant attitude that allows bullying to continue, and parents express concern that the school isn’t doing enough, and that the teacher doesn’t care. Only one in five cases did a parent learn about bullying from the school, 2 out 3 cases lasted several months. [Heasley, S. 2011] Teachers may not see bullying, and instead punish only the victim if they have an outburst brought on by the bullying, thus worsening the situation. [Shulkin, J. 2010] In some cases, the victims’ parents are forced to switch classrooms, or even schools, if that is even an option.
Bullying can hurt children in ways that are not immediately obvious. They may feel lonely, friendless, and abandoned. [Snyder, M. nd] They may relive the incident, much like how a PTSD sufferer relives their trauma. [Wixon C. 2008] Victims are likely to visit the nurse’s office more often, which shows that even verbal bullying takes on physical form, and the emotional strain suppresses the immune system. [George, C] A child who is bullied is likely to remember it vividly, even into adulthood. This shows that bullying causes long-term psychological damage to the victims, and as we have seen in the media reports, can even lead to suicide. Despite this, a bully, student or teacher, may be completely oblivious to the harm they are causing to a child. They may not even be aware that what they are doing is bullying. Especially when it comes to teachers, they may mean to make a positive impact, but end up doing the opposite. [Page, B. 2007] This suggests that schools need more education regarding bullying.
It can be seen that the very nature of school itself, such ‘one size fits all’ model it uses, as well as the fearful environment it creates, makes a big impact on bullying within the school, as well as our “blame the victim” culture. It is a constant show of power and authority over another, whether it’s student against student or teacher against student, with the victim often walking away upset and even scarred for life, while the bully walks away with no repercussions. Luckily, people are now taking bullying more seriously, as laws are just now being put in place to help better the issue. We have a long way to go, but with knowledge comes a better way to understand and deal with the issue. While it’s still a big problem now, maybe some day, schools will become a safer environment for all children to learn and grow.
Sources:
George, C. School nurse visits may signal a child’s involvement in bullying. Chron.com (2011, Apr. 25 ). Retrieved Nov. 8th , 2011, from http://blog.chron.com/medblog/2011/.....t-in-bullying/
Heasley, S. 9 In 10 Kids With Autism Bullied At School. disability scoop.com. (2009, Nov. 13) Retrieved November 6th 2011, from http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2009.....ng-survey/6184
Luscombe, B. Why Kids Bully: Because They Can. Healthland.time.com. (2011, Feb. 8 ). Retrieved November 5th, 2011, http://healthland.time.com/2011/02/.....ds-bully-more/
Page, B. The Teacher as Bully. Educationnews.org (2007, Dec. 3 ). Retrieved November 5th ,2011, from http://www.educationnews.org/articl.....lly/Page1.html
Shuklin, J. Bully. Worcestermag.com (2010, Sep. 22 ). .Retrieved Nov. 6, 2011, from http://www.worcestermag.com/city-de.....-103539679.htm
Snyder, M. Understanding Bullying and Its Impact on Kids With Learning Disabilities or AD/HD. Greatschools.org (n.d). Retrieved November 5th, 2011, from http://www.greatschools.org/special.....es-or-ad-hd.gs
Sofronoff, Kate, and Elizabeth Dark, and Valerie Stone. (2010). Social vulnerability and bullying in children with Asperger syndrome" The National Autistic Society (2010): 1-16. Retrieved November 6th, 2011, from http://www.assesscompetency.com/pap.....ing_in_ASD.pdf
Wixon, C. Teacher lets Morningside students vote out classmate, 5. Tcpalm.com (2008, May. 24 ). Retrieved November 5th, 2011, from http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/may.....t-classmate-5/
Also, feel free to discuss the issue in general. I'm interested in the subject and it's interesting to hear other peoples opinions.
On an unrelated note: I finally picked up my DDR matt and started to play again since I've been feeling a little better. Perhaps this may get me to start playing regularly again like I used to.
Okay here's the essay:
Bullying in Schools
Bullying is a serious problem that has always been around, but has been getting more media attention as of late. Schools are supposed to be a safe place, an environment where a child can learn and grow as a person, but when a child is bullied it hinders their ability to develop and learn, and also scars them for life. For some kids, school is not a safe place, and may even be described as a living hell for them, yet it still continues, sometimes for years. Everyone knows about bullying, but not much has been done to effectively deal with it.
Contrary to popular belief, bullying consists of more than just the easily noticeable physical attacks. Bullying may be defined as “the repeated oppression, physical or psychological, direct or indirect, of a less powerful person by a more powerful person or group where there is always a power imbalance that makes the ill-treatment of the victim possible.” [Sofronoff, Kate, and Elizabeth Dark, and Valerie Stone (2010) p. 1] It can be differentiated from normal conflicts by noting that unlike a normal conflict, bullying is done repeatedly and on purpose, there is only a strong emotional reaction from the victim, and the bully shows no remorse; they blame the victim, saying things such as “they deserved it.” In the past it was believed that only troubled, socially maladjusted kids with low self-esteem were the bullies, but it has been shown that this is not the case. In fact, many bullies have high self-esteem, and are liked by their peers and authority figures. Bullies are master manipulators, and often feign innocence when confronted. Bullying behavior is also frequently encouraged by peers, while unnoticed by adults. Such encouragement makes it more likely to occur. [Snyder, M. nd] Bullying behavior is linked to aggression and desire to be popular, it is not uncommon for popular students to be bullies. It seems that bullies don’t behave that way due to abuse, in fact, evidence seems to show that they do it for the simple reason of “because they can”. [Luscombe, B. 2011] Their perceived strength, popularity, and social prowess allow them to gang up on weaker students; the victims.
Unlike bullies, victims generally have a negative outlook on violence and are not as aggressive. As it turns out, victims have the traits that were once thought to be the profile of a bully; they often suffer from insecurity or low self esteem and tend to be weaker and have less friends than their peers. It is also not just as simple as bully and victim, as it is possible for a child to be both; it is said that around 16 percent of children will be both a bully and a victim at some point in their lives. [Snyder, M. nd] It isn’t uncommon for victims, and peers, to keep quiet about the bullying in fear that it would make the bullying worse, or target them as a victim as well. [Shulkin, J, 2010]
Children with learning disabilities are often targets for bullying, more than their normally developing peers. Often with disabilities, children exhibit emotional and behavioral difficulties, which can pin the child as a target. They also may have difficulties fitting in due to their differences from the other children. As it was mentioned earlier, victims often have low self esteem as well as being physically weaker, they may also be oversensitive or over-react to things, which are traits commonly seen in children with ADHD. [Snyder, M. nd] Autistic children, or children with Asperger’s syndrome, are especially prone to it, due to their social ineptitude and naivety, which has shown to be the biggest reasons children on the spectrum are bullied; they can be tricked into doing things that will get them in trouble, and children take advantage of this. Researchers have also noticed that there are generally two types of children who are victims of bullying: passive targets, who tend to be anxious and solitary, and proactive targets, who tend to be irritating and provocative. These are traits that together are said to create a “single profile of a child with AS (Asperger’s Syndrome)” [Sofronoff, Kate, and Elizabeth Dark, and Valerie Stone (2010) p, 1, 3, 15] Children on the autistic spectrum (including Aspergers), are often perceived as very different from their peers, and are usually not as able to understand the situation or defend themselves as well as normal children do. This has such a profound effect that it is said that 9 out of 10 autistic children are bullied, while it is rarely expressed that an autistic child is a bully, perhaps because of their inability to manipulate. [Heasley, S. 2011]
We all know that students bully, but the teacher’s influence is even bigger than one of another student. They are of a position of authority and are supposed to be role models, yet teachers and their attitudes towards other students, and bullying itself, are a major contributor to bullying. Many people do not believe this, however it is clear that the teachers’ role is huge, occasionally going so far as to bully the students themselves. In fact, many bullies perhaps get away with their behavior because the child knows that they are favored by the teacher, and thus will not experience repressions. Another big reason for the teacher playing a big role, is that students learn from their behavior. The teacher may treat low-performing, non-conforming, non-engaged and just plain different students in a negative manner. The school setting is one that is ruled by fear and conformity, and the teacher may use shaming, humiliation, and teasing as tactics in order to try and force a child to behave to their liking. They believe that bullying is an acceptable form of classroom control, and blame the student for their reluctant behavior, without seeing that they are partially to blame for it. [Page, B. 2007] And as children imitate what they see, they learn to imitate the teacher’s behavior and attitudes. On top of this, children who are in the autistic spectrum, who as mentioned before are already prone to bullying from students, are especially susceptible to bullying from a teacher as well, due to the fact that they are prone to behavioral problems. In one case, a Kindergarten teacher made a child who was in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger’s stand in front of the classroom while telling the students to berate him and insult him. The student was then voted out of the class Survivor-style, 14 to 2. [Wixon, C. 2008] On top of this, many teachers are completely reluctant to do anything about bullying and can have a nonchalant attitude that allows bullying to continue, and parents express concern that the school isn’t doing enough, and that the teacher doesn’t care. Only one in five cases did a parent learn about bullying from the school, 2 out 3 cases lasted several months. [Heasley, S. 2011] Teachers may not see bullying, and instead punish only the victim if they have an outburst brought on by the bullying, thus worsening the situation. [Shulkin, J. 2010] In some cases, the victims’ parents are forced to switch classrooms, or even schools, if that is even an option.
Bullying can hurt children in ways that are not immediately obvious. They may feel lonely, friendless, and abandoned. [Snyder, M. nd] They may relive the incident, much like how a PTSD sufferer relives their trauma. [Wixon C. 2008] Victims are likely to visit the nurse’s office more often, which shows that even verbal bullying takes on physical form, and the emotional strain suppresses the immune system. [George, C] A child who is bullied is likely to remember it vividly, even into adulthood. This shows that bullying causes long-term psychological damage to the victims, and as we have seen in the media reports, can even lead to suicide. Despite this, a bully, student or teacher, may be completely oblivious to the harm they are causing to a child. They may not even be aware that what they are doing is bullying. Especially when it comes to teachers, they may mean to make a positive impact, but end up doing the opposite. [Page, B. 2007] This suggests that schools need more education regarding bullying.
It can be seen that the very nature of school itself, such ‘one size fits all’ model it uses, as well as the fearful environment it creates, makes a big impact on bullying within the school, as well as our “blame the victim” culture. It is a constant show of power and authority over another, whether it’s student against student or teacher against student, with the victim often walking away upset and even scarred for life, while the bully walks away with no repercussions. Luckily, people are now taking bullying more seriously, as laws are just now being put in place to help better the issue. We have a long way to go, but with knowledge comes a better way to understand and deal with the issue. While it’s still a big problem now, maybe some day, schools will become a safer environment for all children to learn and grow.
Sources:
George, C. School nurse visits may signal a child’s involvement in bullying. Chron.com (2011, Apr. 25 ). Retrieved Nov. 8th , 2011, from http://blog.chron.com/medblog/2011/.....t-in-bullying/
Heasley, S. 9 In 10 Kids With Autism Bullied At School. disability scoop.com. (2009, Nov. 13) Retrieved November 6th 2011, from http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2009.....ng-survey/6184
Luscombe, B. Why Kids Bully: Because They Can. Healthland.time.com. (2011, Feb. 8 ). Retrieved November 5th, 2011, http://healthland.time.com/2011/02/.....ds-bully-more/
Page, B. The Teacher as Bully. Educationnews.org (2007, Dec. 3 ). Retrieved November 5th ,2011, from http://www.educationnews.org/articl.....lly/Page1.html
Shuklin, J. Bully. Worcestermag.com (2010, Sep. 22 ). .Retrieved Nov. 6, 2011, from http://www.worcestermag.com/city-de.....-103539679.htm
Snyder, M. Understanding Bullying and Its Impact on Kids With Learning Disabilities or AD/HD. Greatschools.org (n.d). Retrieved November 5th, 2011, from http://www.greatschools.org/special.....es-or-ad-hd.gs
Sofronoff, Kate, and Elizabeth Dark, and Valerie Stone. (2010). Social vulnerability and bullying in children with Asperger syndrome" The National Autistic Society (2010): 1-16. Retrieved November 6th, 2011, from http://www.assesscompetency.com/pap.....ing_in_ASD.pdf
Wixon, C. Teacher lets Morningside students vote out classmate, 5. Tcpalm.com (2008, May. 24 ). Retrieved November 5th, 2011, from http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/may.....t-classmate-5/
The part that I think shines very well is how you discovered how it is the victims who are the ones with low-self esteem in comparison to the bullies who are well loved and in good standing. Thinking back, I can think of how most of the bullies I had were all jocks or folks who had a fair number of pals around who were more than happy to back them up. While, with myself, I had few friends and largely did my best to hide when I could to avoid being put in an environment where I was surrounded by the popular kids to whom I'd know would have a field day with me as I was quite the odd man out.
Another neat point your essay brings to light is the teacher's support of the bully. If you think about it, most of the kids who are jerky, or at least the ones I remember, were a part of known clubs or did sports. Most teachers in High School have influence within the school's extra-caricular activities and would have no reason to do anything to ruin one of kids they may coach or rely on for a big win. There's also the chance the teacher is connected and/or related with the bully through some sort of means and, as a result, less inclined to interject for fear of making bad with those they are close to.
Overall, I'd say you have a most wonderful essay here that is sure to get you a solid A or, at worst, a B. You bring lots of concepts to light and end with a statement that really shows how much we still have to learn about how bullying effects the psyche of those who are bullied in childhood through adulthood. Most would say bullying is a "right of passage". However, your article shows that bullying's scars can sting long past childhood and, as such, should be taken far more seriously in order to ensure we are not letting kids grow up in a mental state where they feel failure and ridicule is all their worth.
Again, awesome work. Thanks for sharing. :)
It's interesting the insight you bring to this, about the club and sports thing. One of the articles I read which I used for my essay mentioned about on teacher bullying, when the teacher bullies a kid, how the "good" students who relate to the teacher most also become bullies from the teacher's influence. They don't realize what they are doing. They just want acceptance. That's all anyone wants.
I think it's ok for children to experience a little pain, and a very tiny bit of teasing. I think a lot of people aren't aware of what bullying is. Bullying isn't just teasing. The most important part is its repetitive nature. Most children are resiliant enough to be able to handle being made fun of sometimes, and it is important a child can deal with that in order to deal with life's future hardships. But any child will break down when they are repetiately exposed to outright torment on a daily basis. Not just any child, but any adult. And breaking down is the worst you can do in that situation because it only makes the bullying more intense. I think bullying has a significantly worse effect on children though too, because children are still developing. They can develop scars that will never heal. It takes a lot more to have that effect on an adult, and adult scars seem to heal easier. It's also extremely sickening how people directly involved with the issue seem to care. I think that is the worst part. In the article about the 5 year old boy being bullied by his teacher, no lawsuits were filed because it "wasn't emotional abuse" according to the police...=_= I think I'll add that to my essay, actually.
I also do believe that teacher bullying is even worse than student bullying. I often express that I forgive the kids that bullied me, but NOT the teachers, my scars from the teachers who mistreated me will last forever and are far deeper. For an adult, an authority figure who is supposed to be there for children to help them, to be so cruel...they really should know better. I know first hand how important the teacher is to bullying. The years that I were bullied the most, were not surprisingly, the years where the teachers bullied me as well. In 3rd grade, when I had a teacher who showed care towards me and didn't tolerate bad behavior, the bullying while still there, happened significantly less often, and with less intensity...except for when a sub was around.