The Toxic Effects of Bullying And
What We Can Do To Prevent It.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a young child in the schoolyard or an employee of a business, bullies come in all shapes and sizes and they don’t stop when they leave school. Bullying can take place at any point in life and even happen in the workplace through intimidation and withholding information. Bullies have even taken to the internet to harass their victims through social media
It can be difficult to stand up to a bully due to circumstances and fear, and the effects on an individual's psyche and wellbeing can be devastating. It can lower self-image, confidence, and lead to social isolation and affect performance.
Some young bullying victims have even been driven to suicide through relentless torment.
Fortunately, there has a been a movement to raise awareness and to say finally enough to bullies. Schools and workplaces have begun to fully understand the impact of bullying and have developed ways to prevent it and conduct disciplinary action when it does happen.
The Effects On Individuals And Society
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, nearly half of all 4th-12th-grade students will experience bullying in any given month and 70% of students admit to witnessing others being bullied.
Bullying isn’t just limited to physical acts of violence, it can take on forms through teasing, name-calling, spreading rumors, theft, and hazing.
A 2010 study conducted by UCLA found that victims of bullying had lower academic performance due to an unwillingness to engage in class discussions and ask questions out of fear of being bullied. Teachers often write these students off as being low academic achievers while in reality, their performance is being hindered by bullies and they may be talented students. Students who face bullying often don’t report incidents to parents or teachers and end up suffering in silence, which can result in further bullying.
But the effects of bullying extend past the emotional and psychological level. Victims often display physical symptoms including stomach pains, headaches, and trouble sleeping, which can lead to staying home from school, leading to further academic trouble.
In the long term, this will ultimately influence a students’ ability to attend a university and make a living for themselves while simultaneously coping with emotional issues. Additionally, bullying can create a vicious cycle where victims end up becoming bullies themselves and inflicting the same kind of emotional pain on others.
This behavior can continue far beyond school and take place at home and in the workplace.
Bullies Are Often Victims Themselves
Often times, bullying is a result of emotional turmoil. According to a study conducted by the Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning, 74% of bullies were found to have the highest levels of depression, suicidal behavior, anger, paranoia, lack of empathy, and dislike for school.
Kids who bully others often have a troubled home life and face abuse by parents or someone else in their life.
Bullies are also more likely to struggle with substances and suicide later in life, and they are at greater risk to commit violence towards their spouse and children.
Instead of blatant punishment for bullies, schools should perform an intervention to help them with emotional struggles by offering counseling, peer mentoring, and family wellness checks. Addressing the root cause of bullying will prevent bullying from getting starting and get children and families on the right track both emotionally and academically.
However, it's important to prosecute individuals when bullying goes too far and becomes a legal matter. Cases, where individuals are physically harmed or pushed to suicide, need to be dealt with by the legal system. Which is why it's so important to take preventive measures before it gets to this point.
Efforts To Curb It
Schools have implemented peer mentoring programs and campaigns to curb bullying, but there is a debate about what methods are best to discourage it.
Anti-bullying campaigns start by raising awareness and drawing attention to bullying. Schools and even lawmakers have gotten involved by crafting policy and providing workshops and intervention methods to parents and teachers in order to address the issue.
Parents are encouraged to report to teachers any suspicion that their child may be facing bullying, and teachers are given authority to address bullying by intervening through previously mentioned methods to try and remedy the situation.
While it’s never easy to stand up to a bully, there has never been another time with as much awareness and a support network than now. The fact that there are government efforts in order to combat bullying and that there are cases where bullies are legally prosecuted truly says a lot about how seriously society is taking the issue.
If current anti-bullying efforts continue, we may very well see bullying become a shameful act of the past where it belongs.
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