BULLYING 101:

                                 What is bullying?

                    Bullying is a conscious, willful, repeated, and deliberately hostile act intended to inflict pain,

                    discomfort, or embarrassment, and/or induce fear through violence, the threat of violence or

                    humiliation. Bullying used to be viewed as a normal part of growing up, but this is simply not
                                    

                                     true. Bullying has become a much more serious issue the past few decades, and with good reason.

   Each day, an estimated 160,000 students stay home from school because they fear of being bullied.

                                                                                                   

• Behavior by a person or group that hurts or rejects another

• Behavior by a person or group in order to have power over another person

• Negative actions that are repeated or carried out over time

Types of bullying:

• Verbal:  teasing, taunting, name-calling

• Physical: pushing, hitting, shoving, stealing or damaging belongings, etc.

• Isolation: excluding others from activities, social alienation, gossip, rumors

• Intimidation: instilling unnecessary fear into others

• Cyber-bullying: bullying through digital means such as the internet or telephone 

  • Cyber-bullying has become a very serious topic because children can now   be bullied at any time, not just at school. The emotional damage cyber-bullying causes can be very traumatic because the bullying may be visible to many people.    

  • For example, children can verbally harass others by posting hurtful information on social networking sites where many people can see the posts.                            

• Due to the increase in cyber-bullying, there has been much more media attention on the topic.          Here are some helpful online resource for receiving tips on how to prevent, recognize, and stop cyber bullying:

  • http://stopcyberbullying.org/

  • http://www.wiredsafety.org/cyberstalking_harassment/cyberbullying.html

Why do we need to stop bullying?

The effects of bullying are devastating today's youth. Children who are bullied may feel scared, lonely, unsafe, or that something is wrong with them. Children who are bullied have a difficult time concentrating at school, and it can also interfere with their social and emotional development.

Bullying also has effects on the bullies themselves. Bullies tend to become aggressive adults. Chronic bullies who display negative behaviors pose an inability to maintain positive relationships.

Due to the fact that bullying is a form of interpersonal violence, bullying can be viewed as a precursor to sexual harassment, dating violence, and domestic violence.

 

   Sources

Gum in My Hair: How to Cope With a Bully  Study Guide. Twisted Scholar (video) & Intermedia, inc. (guide).        

           www.intermedia-inc.com.

Hook, J. (1994). Teaching Students to Get Along. Los Angeles, California: Canter and Associates.

Hoover, J.H. & Oliver, R. (1996). The Bullying Prevention Handbook. Bloomington, Indiana: National Educational Service.

Williams, E. (2005). The Bully, The Bullied, and Beyond. Chapin, South Carolina: Youth Light, Inc.

 

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