We explain what bullying is, its causes, possible consequences and how it is prevented. Also, what are the different types of bullying.
What is bullying?
The term bullying is the most recent of a set of names that have been given over time to bullying, harassment, harassment, abuse or mistreatment at school. That is, to the various forms of abuse and persecution to which children and adolescents are often subjected in or around a school context. The word bullying is a loanword from English, coming from “bully” (abuser).
It is about a form of violence that can go unnoticed by parents and authorities who tend to naturalize it as “boy things” and downplay its importance. However, this social phenomenon can cause enormous emotional and psychological damage to the victim, in addition to encouraging and normalizing the exercise of violence in the abuser.
Bullying can be carried out by one or more people, who dedicate sustained efforts to harassing, mocking, physically intimidating and publicly humiliating the victim.
Usually creates a climate of collective lynching and isolation of great cruelty with the victim's emotions. Furthermore, it turns the entire group against them, since many third parties join in the aggression for fear of becoming the next victims, or because they feel protected and powerful by being on the side of the abusers.
This harassment can occur in person, through social networks or in many other ways, inside and outside the educational facility. It can consist of verbal and psychological insults and humiliation, or also physical attacks and violence. There are no single applicable criteria regarding who can or cannot be victims of bullying.
See also: Stalking
Types of bullying
There are many forms of bullying or bullying practices, such as:
- Social blocking It consists of promoting or organizing the marginalization or social isolation of the victim, prohibiting him from participating in social or sports activities, excluding him from group dynamics, or even demanding that the group not speak to him, under threat of suffering the same fate.
- Harassment Under this name are included various dynamics of systematic harassment, persecution and intimidation, which insist on a message of contempt, disregard, humiliation, ridicule and even hatred.
- Social manipulation This is the name given to attempts to distort the public image of a colleague, inciting third parties against him or her, inventing accusations, implicating him or her in problems with others, to foster a negative appreciation of the group that later leads to greater attacks.
- Duress and coercion That is, intimidating behaviors that seek to force the victim to take actions or say things against their own will, under threat of physical violence, social violence or of another nature. This imposes on the victim a stigma of weakness, helplessness or submission, to place the abuser in a position of power or authority.
- Violence This is the most visible point of all, which crosses the line of bodily integrity and can cause temporary or permanent physical damage. Physical aggression can occur at different levels, ranging from simple abuse to beatings and even sexual violence.
- Cyberbullying or cyberbullying This is the name given to harassment that occurs through social networks, through defamation, unwanted exposure of private life, hijacking of accounts and personal material, etc.
Causes of bullying
The causes of bullying lie, above all, in the abuser, generally a victim of abusive parents dysfunctional homes and probably a burden of violence.
Their reasons for the abuse can be of different types, from an unconscious demand for affection, envy of the boy they abuse, or different dynamics close to psychopathy that denote a worrying absence of empathy. Besides, many abusers can present different degrees of mental illness or emotional defects.
On the other hand, The climate of the educational institution can be more or less conducive to bullying. Institutions that are too rigid, in which an implacable order prevents communication between students and teachers, or on the contrary, institutions without any type of order and discipline, can be favorable for the emergence of this type of behavior.
Consequences of bullying
The consequences of bullying are really serious. On the one hand, naturalize violence, cruelty and injustice in the school environment, allowing it to nest within future generations, aware from early on of the terrible dynamic between victim and perpetrator.
Abusers reproduce outside the home the pain and suffering they suffer in their family nucleus. Thus, given the inaction of the system and the helplessness of the victim, violent and cruel behaviors are reinforced to the abuser, instead of teaching him from an early age to identify and reject pathological social dynamics.
The worst part of the consequences of bullying falls on the victim, subjected to physical, emotional and psychological torture that will leave traces on their developing psyche. l to the destruction of self-esteem, the development of social phobias and the perennial feeling of guilt These are just some of the possible consequences, the identification and treatment of which often require therapeutic help, even once adulthood has arrived.
In addition, there are shorter-term consequences, such as violent conduct of compensation on the part of the victim who, tired of living in fear and helplessness, is pushed into criminal behavior, as often happens in mass shootings and murders in American schools.
Bullying prevention
Specialists affirm that only through a simultaneous intervention on individuals, their family environments and the educational institution it is possible to root out bullying. However, this is influenced by numerous sociocultural factors that go beyond the educational sphere, and which often make it difficult to simply identify the abuser.
However, schools are required to promote communication between students and teachers. This prevents cases of abuse from being invisible to the institution's staff, especially those in charge of discipline and those in charge of psychological assistance, if any.
The participation of parents in this sense is key, as well as breaking the comfort of the indifference of classmates: the abuser must be identified, reported and his behavior rejected by the group so that the social pressure falls on the negative behavior, rather than on the victim.
Finally, victim empowerment It is always a useful tool, hand in hand with psychological therapy. Teaching martial arts and self-defense methods can positively impact your self-esteem and provide you with resources when dealing with abusive situations from a healthier perspective.
Continue with: Risks and dangers of social networks
References
- “School bullying” on Wikipedia.
- “The various forms of bullying: physical, psychological, verbal, sexual, social and cyberbullying” at the International University of Valencia (Spain).
- “How parents, teachers, and children can avoid bullying” in American Psychological Association (APA).
- “Social media bullying” at Planned Parenthood.
- “What is Bullying?” at Victoria State Government (Australia).
