Effects of Bullying

Bullying is the use of force to abuse or intimidate others. It is also a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort. Bullying is happening everywhere and the chances that you, that all of us have bullied, been bullied or at least encountered bullying are high. Around the world, statistics are being collated on the impact and prevalence of bullying, particularly within schools and online in cyber space.

School bullying is a widespread issue that affects youths seriously in three essential parts of their lives - educationally, psychologically and professionally.Bullying is sort of aggressive behavior against others such as, verbal by calling nasty names, physical by kicking, pushing or tripping up and social by everyone stopped talking to you. Despite some children bully others without aware to the results of their actions but bullying reflects adversely on the victims' lives and leads to be victimization to several disorders like anxiety, depression, loneliness and lose their opportunity to have an ordinary life. However, bullied children are more likely to expose themselves to suicide.On the contrary, perpetrators have less impact on their lives. In our opinion, bullying at school has significant effects in whole children lives.

The following essay will discuss the negative effects of school bullying and its consequences. Academic achievement is the first aspects which influence by bullying at school. Therefore, bullied children live within fear, self blame, feel weak and its affect their personality traits and self confidence so this situation makes them unable to study well and they might hate going to school and tend to the truancy.Furthermore, they will lose their opportunities to participate with others or enjoy school activities.

Hence, they will gain less academic performance and low educational attainment. (Oliver ; Candappa . 2003). There is a strong association between academic achievement and being bullied (woods ; wolke ,2004). Additionally, there is a relationship between bullying and school quality such as class-size the number of student in the classroom, lack of library, sports facilities and if the teacher considers as a mother or father when she or he treat with children during their educational progress.

Dearden et al. (2002). Literature Review According to Olweus’ work, bullying is occurring when a student is exposed to negative actions repeatedly and over time by one or more students (Ross, 2002, p. 106).

This definition is accepted widely but leaves some researchers for more clarification. If the same person repeats similar negative actions, one time to multiple people; is it bullying? If one person receives a negative action one time, from someone who has done this to other students; have they been bullied?The problem with this definition is that this can become a very blurred line of intent versus perception and the power differential that was experienced by both parties in this one-time event. For schools that are implementing zero tolerance policies for bullying, when do the teachers and administrators act on these behaviors? As Ross points out (2002, p, 106), “the problem with the repeated occurrence requirement is that the waiting period heightens the negative effects on the victim, allows the bully to feel rewarded, increases fear in onlookers, and makes intervention a more lengthy process”.Therefore, more diligence in acknowledging negative behaviors and language in the hallways and classrooms is needed by staff and students.

Perhaps by pointing out a one-time behavior, it will prevent it from becoming a bullying behavior. Harris ; Hathorn (2006, p. 54-55) explain the gender difference further starting that boys both bullied and got bullied more frequently than girls. It tended to be more physical bullying in the younger years, but became more verbal bullying in the senior and was usually because of their victim’s physical weakness and social connections.

They also indicate that “although girls were vicious with acts of social exclusion, rumors, and name-calling, girls were also more sympathetic to their victims than boys. Consequently, there is evidence of more emotional scarring in girls who are bullied than in incidences of bullying in boys. ” In a 2007 study, 86% of LGBT students said that they had experienced harassment at school during the previous year. (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network -- GLSEN). Research indicates that LGB youth may be more likely to think about and attempt suicide than heterosexual teens. (GLSEN).

In a 2005 survey, students said their peers were most often bullied because of their appearance, but the next top reason was because of actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender expression. ("From Teasing to Torment: School Climate of America" -- GLSEN and Harris Interactive). According to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network 2007 National School Climate Survey of more than 6,000 students. Nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT youth reported being verbally harassed at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation. Nearly half (44. 1 percent) reported being physically harassed.

About a quarter (22. 1 percent) reported being physically assaulted. Nearly two-thirds (60. 8 percent) who experienced harassment or assault never reported the incident to the school. Of those who did report the incident, nearly one-third (31. 1 percent) said the school staff did nothing in response.

In college, students can also experience bullying, maybe not by physical bullying but most are by cyber bullying or verbal bullying. College students that been bullied affects their daily lives, grades or even social connections to other students, also their behavior can be change.They will be very shy and scarred of anyone who will approach them because they were thinking that maybe they will bully them. Methodology According to National Education Association, there is about 160,000 estimated children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students. Here are some important facts about bullying: (1) American schools harbor approximately 2.

1 million bullies and 2. 7 million of their victims. Dan Olweus, National School Safety Center. (2) 1 in 7 Students in Grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying.

3) 56% of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school. (4) 15% of all school absenteeism is directly related to fears of being bullied at school. (5) 71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school. (6) 1 out of 20 students has seen a student with a gun at school.

(7) 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month. (8)Those in the lower grades reported being in twice as many fights as those in the higher grades. However, there is a lower rate of serious violent crimes in the elementary level than in the middle or high schools. 9) 90% of 4th through 8th graders report being victims of bullying. (10) Among students, homicide perpetrators were more than twice as likely as homicide victims to have been bullied by peers.

(11) Bullying statistics say revenge is the strongest motivation for school shootings. (12) 87% of students said shootings are motivated by a desire to “get back at those who have hurt them. ” (13) 86% of students said, “Other kids picking on them, making fun of them or bullying them” causes teenagers to turn to lethal violence in the schools. 14) 61% of students said students shoot others because they have been victims of physical abuse at home. (15)54% of students said witnessing physical abuse at home can lead to violence in school. (16) According to bullying statistics, 1 out of every 10 students who drops out of school does so because of repeated bullying.

(17) Harassment and bullying have been linked to 75% of school-shooting incidents. These are the four (4) forms of bullies that can be seen or experience by anyone. (1) Physical – This can be seen by hitting, kicking, pinching, punching, scratching, spitting or any other form of physical attack.Damage to or taking someone else’s belongings may also constitute as physical bullying. (2) Verbal – This can be seen by name calling, insulting, making racist, sexist or homophobic jokes, remarks or teasing, using sexually suggestive or abusive language, offensive remarks (3) Indirect – This can be seen by spreading nasty stories about someone, exclusion from social groups, being made the subject of malicious rumors, sending abusive mail, and email and text messages (cyber bullying).

(4) Cyber Bullying - any type of bullying that is carried out by electronic medium. There are 7 types including:1. Text message bullying .2.

Picture/video clip bullying via mobile phone cameras.3. Phone call bullying via mobile phones.4. E-mail bullying.5.

Chat-room bullying.6. Bullying through instant messaging (IM).7. Bullying via websites Results In Massachusetts, children from 10 to 14 years of age tend to suicide just because they were bullied.

Since 2002, at least 15 schoolchildren ages 11 to 14 have committed suicide in Massachusetts. Three of them were Carl's age. ("Constantly Bulled, He Ends His Life at Age 11," by Milton J.Valencia.

The Boston Globe, April 20, 2009). In 2005 (the last year nationwide stats were available), 270 children in the 10-14 age group killed themselves. (AAS). The suicide rate among young male adults in Massachusetts rose 28 percent in 2007. However, that does not reflect deaths among teenagers and students Carl's age.

(Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health, in a report released April 8, 2009). Suicide remains among the leading causes of death of children under 14. And in most cases, the young people die from hanging.