Bullying

Bullying is the intentional tormenting of others through verbal harassment, physical assault, or other more subtle methods of coercion such as manipulation. There is currently no legal definition of bullying.

In colloquial speech, bullying often describes a form of harassment perpetrated by an abuser who possesses more physical and/or social power and dominance than the victim. The victim of bullying is sometimes referred to as a target. The harassment can be verbal, physical and/or emotional.

Norwegian researcher Dan Owelus defines bullying as when a person is "exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons." He defines negative action as "when a person intentionally inflicts injury or discomfort upon another person, through physical contact, through words or in other ways."

Bullying can occur in any setting where human beings interact with each other. This includes school, the workplace, home and neighborhoods. Bullying can exist between social groups, social classes and even between countries (see Jingoism).

Effects

The effects of bullying can be serious and even fatal. About 85% of bullying victims suffer long term psychological damage and stress related disease later in their lives.^{[citation needed]} Mona O’Moore, Ph.D, asserts that "There is a growing body of research which indicates that individuals, whether child or adult who are persistently subjected to abusive behavior are at risk of stress related illness which can sometimes lead to suicide."

Deaths associated with bullying

For specific examples, see List of people who died due to bullying

There have been many examples of people dying as a result of bullying. Victims of bullying either commit suicide or are killed by their bullies. There are also cases of death occurring as an indirect result of bullying, such as bullies or other people killed by victims of bullying.

Characteristics of bullies

Research indicates that adults who bully have personalities that are authoritarian, combined with a strong need to control or dominate. It has also been suggested that a deficit in social skills and a prejudicial view of subordinates can be particular risk factors.

Further studies have shown that while envy and resentment may be motives for bullying, there is little evidence to suggest that bullies suffer from any deficit in self esteem (as this would make it difficult to bully). However, there are instances where bullying takes place only for humor. It is generally used in this instance by children who were bullied earlier in their lives, on the assumption that those who bullied them derived fun from their acts and that this would teach the victims to do the same.

Researchers have identified other risk factors such as quickness to anger and use of force, addiction to aggressive behaviors, mistaking others' actions as hostile, concern with preserving self image, and engaging in obsessive or rigid actions.

Bullying may also be "tradition" in settings where an age group or higher rank feels superior than lowerclassmen.

It is often suggested that bullying behavior has its origin in childhood:

"If aggressive behaviour is not challenged in childhood, there is a danger that it may become habitual. Indeed, there is research evidence, to indicate that bullying during childhood puts children at risk of criminal behaviour and domestic violence in adulthood."

Bullying does not necessarily involve criminality or physical violence. For example, bullying often operates through psychological abuse or verbal abuse.

Bullying can often be associated with street gangs, especially at school.

History of bullying

It is only in recent years that bullying has been recognised and recorded as a separate and distinct offence, but there have been well documented cases the were recorded in a different context. The Fifth Volume of the Newgate Calendar contains at least one example where Eton Scholars George Alexander Wood and Alexander Wellesley Leith were charged, at Aylesbury Assizes, with killing and slaying the Hon. F. Ashley Cooper on February 28, 1825 in an incident that would now, surely be described as "lethal hazing". The Newgate calendar contains several other examples that, while not as distinct, could be considered indicative of situations of bullying.

Types of bullying

US National Center for Education Statistics suggests that bullying can be broken into two categories: Direct bullying, and indirect bullying which is also known as social aggression.

Direct bullying involves a great deal of physical aggression such as shoving and poking, throwing things, slapping, choking, punching and kicking, beating, stabbing, pulling hair, scratching, biting and scraping. Social aggression or indirect bullying is characterized by forcing the victim into social isolation. This isolation is achieved through a wide variety of techniques, including spreading gossip, refusing to socialize with the victim, bullying other people who wish to socialize with the victim, and criticizing the victim's manner of dress and other socially-significant markers (including the victim's race, religion, disability, etc). Ross (1998) outlines other forms of indirect bullying which are more subtle and more likely to be verbal, such as name calling, the silent treatment, manipulation, gossip/ false gossip, lies, rumors/ false rumors, staring, giggling, laughing at the victim, and mocking.

School bullying

In schools, bullying usually occurs in areas with minimal or no adult supervision. It can occur in nearly any part in or around the school building, though it more often occurs in PE, exploratory classes, recess, hallways, bathrooms, classes that require group work and/or afterschool activities. Bullying in school sometimes consists of a group of students taking advantage of, or isolating one student in particular, and outnumbering him/her. Targets of bullying in school are often pupils who are considered strange or different by their peers to begin with, making the situation harder for them to deal with. Bullying can also be perpetrated by teachers.

In the 1990s, the United States saw an epidemic of school shootings (of which the most notorious was the Columbine High School massacre). Many of the children behind these shootings claimed that they were victims of bullying and that they resorted to violence only after the school administration repeatedly failed to intervene. In many of these cases, the victims of the shooters sued both the shooters' families and the schools.

As a result of these trends, schools in many countries strongly discourage bullying, with programs designed to teach students cooperation, as well as training peer moderators in intervention and dispute resolution techniques, as a form of peer support.

In recent years, many victims have been suing bullies directly^{[citation needed]} for intentional infliction of emotional distress, and including their school as a defendant under the principle of joint and several liabilities. American victims and their families have other legal recourse, such as suing a school or teacher for failure to adequately supervise, racial or gender discrimination, or other civil rights violations. Special education students who are victimized may sue a school or school board under the ADA or Section 504.

Workplace bullying

According to the Workplace Bullying and Trauma Institute, workplace bullying is "the repeated mistreatment of one employee targeted by one or more employees with a malicious mix of humiliation, intimidation and sabotage of performance." Statistics show that bullying is 3 times as prevalent as illegal discrimination and at least 1,600 times as prevalent as workplace violence. Statistics also show that while only one employee in every 10,000 becomes a victim of workplace violence, one in six experiences bullying at work. Bullying is also far more common than sexual harassment and verbal abuse.

Unlike the more physical form of schoolyard bullying, workplace bullying often takes place within the established rules and policies of the organization and society. Such actions are not necessarily illegal and may not even be against the firm's regulations; however, the damage to the targeted employee and to workplace morale is obvious.

Particularly when perpetrated by a group, workplace bullying is sometimes known as mobbing.

Cyber-bullying

Cyberbullying occurs in electronic space. According to Canadian educator Bill Belsey, it:

"involves the use of information and communication technologies such as e-mail, cell phone and pager text messages, instant messaging, defamatory personal Web sites, blogs, online games and defamatory online personal polling Web sites, to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behaviour by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others".

Bullies will even create blogs to intimidate victims worldwide.

Political bullying

Jingoism occurs when one country imposes its will on another. This is normally done with military force or threats. With threats, it is common to ensure that aid and grants will not be given to the smaller country or that the smaller country will not be allowed to join a trading organization. Often political corruptions, coup d'états, and kleptocracies are the solution and response to the countries being bullied.^{[citation needed]}

Military bullying

In 2000, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) defined bullying as: “...the use of physical strength or the abuse of authority to intimidate or victimize others, or to give unlawful punishments.” A review of a number of deaths by suicide at Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut by Nicholas Blake QC indicated that whilst a culture of bullying existed during the mid to late 1990s many of the issues were being addressed as a result of the Defence Training Review.

Some argue that this behaviour should be allowed because of a general academic consensus that "soldiering" is different from other occupations. Soldiers expected to risk their lives should, according to them, develop strength of body and spirit to accept bullying.

In some countries, ritual hazing among recruits has been tolerated and even lauded as a rite of passage that builds character and toughness; while in others, systematic bullying of lower-ranking, young or physically slight recruits may in fact be encouraged by military policy, either tacitly or overtly (see dedovschina). Also, the Russian army usually have older/more experienced candidates abusing - kicking or punching - less experienced soldiers..

Hazing

Hazing is an often ritualistic test, which may constitute harassment, abuse or humiliation with requirements to perform meaningless tasks; sometimes as a way of initiation into a social group. The term can refer to either physical (sometimes violent) or mental (possibly degrading) practices. It is a subjective matter where to draw to line between 'normal' hazing (somewhat abusive) and a mere rite of passage (essentially bonding; proponents may argue they can coincide), and there is a gray area where exactly the other side passes over into sheer degrading, even harmful abuse that should not even be tolerated if accepted voluntarily (serious but avoidable accidents do still happen; even deliberate abuse with similar grave medical consequences occurs, in some traditions even rather often). Furthermore, as it must be a ritual initiation, a different social context may mean a same treatment is technically hazing for some, not for others, e.g. a line-crossing ceremony when passing the equator at sea is hazing for the sailor while the extended (generally voluntary, more playful) application to passengers is not.

Hazing has been reported in a variety of social contexts, including sports teams, academic fraternities and sororities, secret societies and certain service clubs (such as some modern US Freemasons), the armed forces, police forces and in workplaces. Inmate hazing is also common at prisons around the world, often including beatings and sexual assaults by fellow inmates.

Hazing is considered a felony in several US states, and anti hazing legislation has been proposed in other states.

Strategies to cope with bullying

Traditional Response

While various strategies to deal with bullies have been put forth, conventional wisdom, anecdotal evidence, and common perception indicates that the only effective method that stops bullying is to respond in kind - to confront the violence of the bully with violence in return. This response, though it may not stop an attack, reduces the benefit of bullying the target individual.

The basis of this concept is that the bullied is seen to be an "easy target" and that there are few, if any, consequences to harassing them. By removing the fundamental basis of the bully/target relationship, the bullying ends.

This response is also very often the most effective means of stopping bullying, usually to only one.

Helping victims at school

Many of the responsibilities of members of a school team is that they need to help the victims of bullying. The following strategies may be considered:

1. If a person voluntarily comes to someone for help then they need to listen. Sometimes this is all that the victim wants and needs. (Note that many schools seem to think that this is all that is needed and, while their technical policy does not say so, in practice they refuse to take things beyond this level.)
2. After investigating the situation, it may be that intervention is necessary with the bully or bullies. The situation needs to be addressed and hopefully a resolution to the problem can be found.
3. Inform the parents of the victim and of the bully. Discuss possible solutions with them. Arrange a meeting with them if possible.
4. Follow up in communicating with the victim, the parents and the teachers about the situation.
5. Monitor the behavior of the bully and the safety of the victim on a school-wide basis.

Strategies to reduce bullying within schools

Researchers (Olweus, 1993; Craig & Peplar, 1999; Ross, 1998; ) provide several strategies which address ways to help reduce bullying, these are:

• make adults aware of the situation and involve them
• make it clear that bullying is never acceptable
• hold a school conference day devoted to bully/victim problems
• increase adult supervision in the yard, halls and washrooms more vigilantly
• emphasize caring, respect and safety
• emphasize consequences of hurting others
• enforce consistent and immediate consequences for aggressive behaviours
• follow up on all instances of aggression
• improve communication among school administrators, teachers, parents and students
• have a school problem box where kids can report problems, concerns and offer suggestions
• teach cooperative learning activities
• help bullies with anger control and the development of empathy
• encourage positive peer relations
• offer a variety of extracurricular activities which appeal to a range of interests

External links

• Bullying, depression, and suicidality in adolescents re-published from Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, found at HighBeam Research
• Beatbullying: Creating a world where bullying is unacceptable
• AntiBully.tk "Bullying is wrong!"
• Bullying.org "Where you are NOT alone!"
• Childline (UK) - talk to someone in confidence (0800 1111)
• Canadian anti-bullying safety database
• BullyPolice (USA - schools)
• Bullying in schools (Australia - schools)
• Bullying in schools (UK - schools)
• Bullying in schools: a restorative justice approach
• School Bullying
• Bullying: Information for Parents and Teachers
• Neighbours From Hell in Britain
• VISIONARY - A European Portal on School Bullying and Violence
• Discussion on bullying in Japanese schools (Streaming audio & mp3)
• Bully Beware - taking action against bullying
• The Ophelia Project: Information on Relational Aggression and Bullying
• Using peer support to tackle bullying
• Raven Days: Case histories with links to excellent source material related to school bullying
• Bullying of Academics in Higher Education
• Resources at Kidscape, UK National Charity dedicated to preventing bullying and child abuse.
• Bullying: calls for national inquiry Report in Education Guardian, 27th March 2007.
• Bullying Awareness, Education for Students

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

• Bullying  ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

• History of "Bullying"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.