Cause and Effects of Bullying

Bullying

Researchers have found that there are three main types of bullying; verbal, physical, and social. In recent years bullying has become a major epidemic among the youth of this country. Whether it is on the internet, through a text message, or from another kid at school, it happens all over America, every single day. The definition of bullying is unwanted aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance (Stopbullying.gov). Verbal bullying can range from, name-calling, taunting, teasing, or even threaten harm on someone. Physical bullying includes, hitting, kicking, and taking or breaking someone else's belongings. Social bullying, also known as relational bullying, is less direct than the other two types. It is when someone hurts someone's reputation or relationships by spreading rumors about them, or leaving them out purposely (The Three Kinds of Bullying).

They have also found that bullying is a learned behavior. It could be from a strained relationship with their parents, bad grades, or anxiety about how they look. Harassing others gives them a sense of superiority. Bullies often come from homes that lack warm, affectionate parental relationships. Children who do not experience consequences for their negative behavior are likely to continue that behavior (Life123). I was always taught that people became bullies because they had low self-esteem. I have found throughout my research on this matter that the reality is that they usually have pretty high self-esteem.

It's hard to believe that a parent can bully their child, but it happens all the time. That is how most bullies learn their behavior. Parents that are bossy and belittling to their children everyday are no doubt breeding a future bully. There is a difference between correcting your child's inappropriate behavior, and trying to control every aspect of their life. It is said that people parent the way they were parented, but to me, that is no excuse. Bullying your child is unacceptable! I would think that someone that grew up with tough background would want a better upbringing than they had. Most parents want the same things for their children, but they go about getting it in very different ways. A child needs to be guided in the right direction, not forced by their parents to do what they want them to do.

The statistics on bullying are outrageously high, and they continue to rise. Harassment and bullying have been linked to 75% of school-shooting incidents (Bully Facts & Statistics). I cannot imagine feeling so harassed and abused by my peers that I would want to go on a shooting rampage at school. When I went to school, not once did I ever worry about someone bringing a gun to school. I worried about getting my homework done, or the boy I was crushing on. Things were so much simpler then. A lot of schools have a metal detector in them