BULLYING

What is Bullying?
Bullying is not a new phenomenon of the recent
years, but has been occurring from time
immemorial in schools all over the world; several
scholars have highlighted the importance of
addressing this issue in an appropriate and
effective way due to the enduring effects it has on
the psyche of children (Debarbieux, 2003).
According to Olweus (1993), Bullying is often
defined as a persistent abuse of power in
relationships through constant verbal, physical and
social behaviour that inevitably leads to adverse
psychological or physical effects on the victim.
What is Bullying?

There are three major kinds of bullying: (A) Verbal

bullying which includes mocking or teasing someone
about physical/personal characteristics such as their
weight, height, race, sexuality, culture, or religion. (B)
Physical bullying which includes inducing pain through
hitting, beating, slapping etc. or encroaching into a
person’s personal space to intimate them or even
damaging/stealing their belongings. (C) Social
bullying which includes continuously leaving someone
out or spreading false rumor to tarnish the person’s
social image
 What is Bullying?

Whether is by an individual or a group, overtly

or covertly, the effects are long term. There are
two kinds of victims: first type is a Passive victim
who possesses low self-esteem and
internalization of problems such as anxiety and
depression, having few friends, rejected and
socially isolated by their classmates (Olweus,
1993). The second type is the provocative
victims tend to show hyperactive traits, strong
temperament and are aggressive, passive
victims are more sensitive, cautious and
unassertive (Olweus, 1993).
 What is Bullying?

Aggressors are characterized as having lower

empathy, using violence as a means for an end,
impulsive, hostile, dominant, uncooperative and
unfriendly; moreover, low anxiety, insecurity,
and they perceive that they are less supported
by their teachers etc. (Nansel, Craig, Overpeek,
Daluja & Ruan, 2004). In the case of gender and
type of abuse being used, the idea that boys
use direct aggression, while girls use indirect
aggression also known as covert bullying.
What is Bullying?

Traditional bullying most often occurs in schools whereas

Cyber bullying can occur at any time, which may heighten

children’s perceptions of vulnerability. Cyber bullying

texts/comments and images also can be made viral to a wide

audience which virtually affects the everyday reality of students

(Kowalski, & Limber, 2007). (As cited in Dilmac, 2009, Pp. 1308-

1310). It involves an unhealthy destructive pattern of belittling

vulnerable people. Bullying should not be mistaken for a single

incident of conflict rather the definition of bullying involves

three critical aspects.

 What is Bullying?

First is the repeated and ongoing misuse of power, secondly, it

occurs within relationships and thirdly, it can cause harm. All
three criteria’s need to be present in order for behaviour to be
called bullying. Usually, bullying starts when there is an
imbalance of power which means that one person/group has
an advantage over another person/group and uses their
advantage to lord over/mistreat the disadvantaged group. The
power imbalance can occur because one group may have
access to resources such as weapons, social support, money,
information, technology etc. or also may be due to personal
qualities such as physical attractiveness, strength, eloquence,
social charm etc.”.
What is Bullying?

Harassment and discrimination can lead to bullying if early

intervention is not taken up. “Covert bullying is a subtle
type of non-physical bullying which usually isn’t easily seen
by others and is conducted out of sight of, and often
unacknowledged by adults. Covert bullying behaviours
mostly inflict harm by damaging another’s social
reputation, peer relationships and self-esteem. Covert
bullying mostly involves social exclusion and intimidation
which most often goes unnoticed by others and thus
makes it harder to address (Crick, Casas & Ku, 1999). In this
type of bullying the bully is not caught easily and can deny
the act as it not as obvious as physical attacks, as a result
the victim can feel more isolated.
What is Bullying?

Online bullying is a covert type of bullying which involves the

use of technology to humiliate and attack others. Research
indicates that the majority of young people who bully online
also bully others in person. An important question to ask
here is, “Why do people bully others?” People who bully
others are often driven by popularity and reputation they can
achieve through bullying. Some may bully others to
compensate for what is happening to them and their own
feelings of powerlessness. Bullying behaviours can be learned
through modelling. Another reason why bullying occurs is
because some children have different physical or personal
qualities which makes them distinct from the rest, which
makes them more prone to bullying.
What is Bullying?

The covert forms of bullying are harder to identify because of the

complexities involved, thus parents and teachers need to keep an
open eye for subtle signs of bullying. Bullying is a serious matter
because of the severe and long lasting psychological damage it
has on everyone involved included the bystanders. Bullying must
not be considered as a normal part of the school experience as it
can thwart the normal development of a child. The act of bullying
must not be dismissed or normalized to any extent as it leads to
a lifetime of trauma for the ones on the receiving end. “Being
bullied can result in a person feeling miserable and powerless…
Research shows that bullying can have a negative impact on
students’ academic performance, self-esteem, and coping skills,
and can increase anxiety and unhappiness.
What is Bullying?

. It is important that students, staff and parents get involved

to make a positive change. Bullying can negatively affect how
children and young people see themselves and how they feel
about themselves.” (Pp 1-12). Those who engage in bullying
behaviour need to address their toxic dominating attitudes
otherwise it may lead to anti-social behaviours in their adult
years. They need to learn that their behaviour is unacceptable
and need to adopt more appropriate behaviours. Bystanders
as well can feel confused whether they need to not be
involved or defend the one being bullied, which can make
them feel psychological distress as well.
What is Bullying?
“Research finds that bullies lack prosocial behavior, are untroubled by anxiety, and do not understand others' feelings. They misread the
intentions of others, often imputing hostility in neutral situations. They typically see themselves quite positively, however, those who
chronically bully tend to have strained relationships with parents and peers.” Bullies often run a radar to assess who would make a suitable
victim for their next power play.

Those who emanate fear and unassertiveness make the perfect target. Bullies use these weaknesses to dominate their submissive
counterparts and experience a sense of superiority over them. One of the reasons why some children may have lower social skills and
empathy is because of a lack of exposure to play experiences which help cultivate healthy conflict resolution and communication skills.
Ultimately, it is a lose-lose situation as both parties involved are harmed through the bullying process; evidently as research reveals
“psychological maladjustment” of those who are being bullied and those who bully

Bullying is a complex phenomenon of interpersonal aggression as it manifests uniquely in various social relationship. Ryoo, Wang, and
Swearer (2014) states that children can find themselves play different roles as the bystander, the victim and the perpetrator at different social
contexts over different periods of time. Several studies have further shed light on the reality that “bully-victims” experience worse outcomes
as compared to either “bully/victim”. They have a higher chance of “anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, self-harm, suicidal
ideation/tendency, substance abuse, psychosomatic problems, absenteeism, aggressions and delinquency
What is Bullying?

Several family influence have a role to influence the

bullying behaviour, which includes ”family members’
involvement in gangs, poor parental supervision,
negative family environment, parental conflict,
domestic violence, low parental communication, lack
of parent emotional support, authoritarian parenting,
inappropriate discipline, and parental abuse”(Craig,
& Connolly, 2008). Affiliation with aggressive peers
and negative relationships with classmates is also
associated with greater bullying perpetration.
What is Bullying?
Those who are angered by the injustice and defend
victims have greater empathy and greater social self-
efficacy, are usually higher in social status, this is
known as Empathetic Anger (Vitaglione & Barnett,
2003). Higher levels of bullying and victimization have
been linked to inappropriate teacher responses, poor
teacher–student relationships, lack of teacher support,
and lack of engagement in school activities (Bacchini
et al., 2009). Research has also linked bullying
perpetration to exposure to violent TV and video
games, condoning of communal hatred and violence
(Olson et al., 2009).

 
What is Bullying?

In conclusion, Bullying does not occur in isolation but is an outplay of the various forces from the individuals
environment; their immediate environment such as family, peers, school and secondary environment such as
social, cultural and political space.
Prevalence of Bullying in India

• UNESCO report confirms that bullying is a major

problem worldwide. After assessing the
quantitative and qualitative data from a range of
global and regional surveys, covering 144
countries and territories in all regions, the reality
is that almost one in three students (32%) has
been bullied by their peers at school at least once
in the last month (Cook, 2019).

• Physical bullying is more common among boys,

while psychological bullying is more prevalent
among girls.
 Prevalence of Bullying in India
• In India, The Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2013 reported that about 28 percentage of students between the
age group of 12-18 reported being bullied at school during the school year.

• Furthermore, the National Centre for Education Statistic stated that nearly one third of all the students aged 12-18
reported having bullied at school in 2007.

• In Bangalore, a five-year study conducted at 15 locations across the country has found that as many as 40% of
students of Class 4 to 12 said they are subjected to harassment by peers on school campuses.

• Harassment comes in various forms on school campuses: Students are made fun of, bullied, teased, insulted, and
ridiculed, besides physical fights. Experts said rampant harassment on campuses confirmed the lack of social and
emotional learning in Indian schools.

• The findings stress the fact that schools need to nurture social-emotional competencies in students by focusing more
on relationship management and self-awareness.
Prevalence of Bullying in India

• Data indicated that India has recorded the highest rate of children falling victim to cyberbullying in 2018 based on a
survey conducted in 28 countries by the UK-based consumer tech review firm Comparitech. With increasing availability of
affordable data services and social media presence, cyber bullying in India has witnessed an alarming rise (Gyanesh, 2017).

• According to research conducted by Symantec, nearly 8 out of 10 individuals are subject to the different types of cyber
bullying in India. Out of these around 63% faced online abuses and insults, and 59% were subject to false rumors and
gossips for degrading their image. The same study ranks India as the country facing the highest cyber bullying in the Asia
Pacific region, more than Australia and Japan.

• In fact, 50% of women residing in prime Indian cities are a victim of online abuse, according to a survey by Feminism.
Spurred by the increasing cases of cyber bullying in India, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched a
distinct helpline (complaint-mwcd@gov.in) to report cyber bullying. (Kshirsagar, Agarwal & Bavdekar, 2007)
 Effects of Bullying
Bullying can affect everyone in the long term and short run—those who are bullied, those who
bully, and those who witness bullying. Bullying is linked to many negative outcomes including
impacts on mental health, substance use, and suicide/self-harm. Kids who are bullied can
experience negative physical, school, and mental health issues. (Gordon, 2020)

Kids who are bullied are more likely to experience:

• Low self-esteem, School avoidance, anxiety, Bedwetting, Depression, increased feelings of

sadness and loneliness, Sleep disturbance, and eating patterns, Social isolation and
Feelings of shame. These issues may persist into adulthood.

• Health complaints and Psychosomatic symptoms (stomachaches, headaches, muscle aches,

other physical complaints with no known medical cause)

• Decreased academic achievement and are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school.

• A very small number of bullied children might retaliate through extremely violent
measures, yet majority of students who were responsible for school shootings were once
 Effects of Bullying

Kids who bully others can also engage in violent and other risky behaviors into adulthood. They are
more likely to:
 Abuse alcohol and other drugs in adolescence and as adults
 Get into fights, vandalize property, and drop out of school
 Engage in early sexual activity
 Have criminal convictions and traffic citations as adults 
 Difficulty maintaining social relationships and Be abusive toward their romantic partners, spouses, or
children as adults
 Poor school performance
Bystanders/Kids who witness bullying are more likely to:
 Have increased use of tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs
 Have increased mental health problems, including depression and anxiety
 Miss or skip school
 Effects of Bullying

Parents of the bullying victim are more likely to experience:

• Feeling of Powerlessness

• physical complaints

• Anger, Agitation, and Anxiety

• Obsession

• Feelings of Failure

• Loneliness and Isolation

With immediate and proper mental health treatment and psychosocial intervention, victims can prevent some of the
potential long-term consequences of bullying. Without intervention, however, kids are at risk of developing chronic
depression, PTSD, Anxiety disorder, Suicidal Ideation, Substance abuse disorders etc. Childhood bullying has serious
effects on both short and long-term health of children. It is imperative that schools, families, and communities work
together to decrease, and hopefully eliminate, bullying both in schools and communities. (Hurley, 2018)