Sosial Issue

Causes of Bullying and Ways to Prevent It

According to The Oxford Dictionary Bullying is defines as usage of superior strength or

influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force them to do something. Bullying is the
use of force, threat, or coercion to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively dominate others. The
behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception, by
the bully or by others, of an imbalance of social or physical power, which distinguishes
bullying from conflict. Behaviors used to assert such domination can include verbal
harassment or threat, physical assault or coercion, and such acts may be directed
repeatedly towards particular targets. Rationalizations of such behavior sometimes\
include differences of social class, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, appearance,
behavior, body language, personality, reputation, lineage, strength, size, or ability. If
bullying is done by a group, it is called mobbing. There are several causes of bullying.

First of all, Bullying a way people claim a sort of power in their lives by victimising
another. That person might have old shoes, be too short, too smart, too dumb, too
feminine. The reason doesn’t really matter. Sometimes the feelings of powerlessness
come from a problem at home. For kids, this might be a situation such as excessive fighting
in the home, parents getting a divorce, or a close family member suffering from an addiction
to drugs or alcohol. For adults, problems in a marriage from disloyalty to general
estrangement may lead them to exaggerate their own authority to the point of bullying.
Kids who push others around are often driven by the need for power. They enjoy being
able to subdue others. These types of kids are typically impulsive and hot headed and they
thrive when their victims cower in their presence.

Besides,the family situation of bullies can often be a contributory factor. Lack of

emotional support, authoritarian parenting, divorces, domestic violence and poor parental
communication are all potential factors in the lives of bullies. According to Dr. Nerissa
Bauer, an expert on the topic:

“Parents are very powerful role models and children will mimic the behavior of parents,
wanting to be like them. They may believe violence is OK and they can use it with peers.
After all, they may think, ‘If Daddy can do this, perhaps I can hit this kid to get my way.’
When parents engage in violence, children may assume violence is the right way to do
things,”
It is so important that people who are witnessing violence at home have people to talk to
and ways to deal with the behavioural challenges this creates. Counselling and therapy
are often good options.

Furhermore, When a person picks on someone for always being the first to raise their
hand in class, or getting the best grade on tests and ruining the curve, or even picking up
many of the promotions at work, the bully is probably jealous or frustrated with the person
they are bullying. Some of the things that make people different are generally neutral
characteristics, but some, like being smart, focused, or creative often represent attributes
that the bully wishes they shared with their victim. By seeking to undermine someone else’s
skills, bullies try to create a more level playing field. Another possible bullying situation is
when the bully may actually share the characteristic for which they are bullying the other
person. They may be embarrassed by their own intelligence and fear being called a nerd,
so they make the accusation of someone else. Those who bully because of a person’s
sexual orientation may still be trying to figure out their own and come to terms with it.

Bullying behaviour impacts the whole-school community. Bullying has detrimental

effects on students' health, wellbeing and learning. It can make students feel lonely,
unhappy and frightened. It’s not just the students being bullied who are affected. Most
students say they don’t like seeing bullying in their school – it makes them feel worried and
uncomfortable. Students who bully others are also more likely to have problems and be
unhappy.

Being bullied can affect everything about a child: how they see themselves, their
friends, school, and their future. Students who are bullied often experience depression,
low self-esteem that may last a lifetime, shyness, loneliness, physical illnesses, and
threatened or attempted self-harm. Some students miss school, see their marks drop or
even leave school altogether because they have been bullied. Verbal and social/relational
bullying can be just as harmful as physical bullying.

Students who engage in bullying also risk poor long term outcomes, including leaving
school early. Some students engage in bullying for a short time only and then stop either
because they realise it’s wrong or they are supported to learn more appropriate behaviour.
A small group of students continue to bully others over many years. Parents, whānau and
schools need to support those who bully others to learn more appropriate ways to get on
with others and deal with conflict and social challenges.
Although most research in this area focuses on the impacts of bullying on initiators and
targets, bullying may also have a negative impact on bystanders, those who witness
bullying. Even if a child isn’t being bullied, they can be affected by it. No one can do well
when they feel unsafe.

Addressing bullying effectively has benefits for the future of everyone.