Bullying In school: Bullying As The Genesis Of The Hate
Published on: 2017/08/31
Dr. Kathryn Seifert, Psychologist
Abstract
Bullies have often been bullied themselves and the control of others by force becomes a pattern unless appropriate treatment is given. Bullies can be taught to behave differently.
Interest Category
Bullying in school, bullying, healthcare
Causes of bullying in school
There are many factors that influence bullying behavior. Here is the list of key factors that are responsible for bullying in school.
1. Family and parental issues
Children with family problems, paternal issues or a dysfunctional family are most likely to bully in school. Children, who have a better relationship with parents have shown less tendency to bully. Family factors that cause bullying in school are:
a) Lack of bonding between parent and child
b) A child being rejected by one or both parents
c) The troubled relationship between parents
d) Physical punishments are used to control the child
2. Environmental factors
Exposure to physical violence through media also triggers bullying. Though it is difficult to generalize that all the children who are exposed to such violence become a bully, it is one of the common factors that contribute to bullying behavior. Some children may show escalated levels of aggression and gets strongly influenced by violence in media.
3. Peer groups
Bullying in peer groups is very common in schools. Bullies within a group may influence other children to participate in bullying. Cyberbullying, gossip, name-calling, etc are all triggered by peer pressure. Children, who want to belong to the group and be liked by the others in the group, give in for the peer pressure.
These factors may cause a pattern of aggressive reaction in some children which may result in bullying in school.
Common Types of Bullying
These are the common types of bullying in school:
- Physical bullying – target weaklings in the school to gain control
- Cyberbullying – bullying in social media
- Verbal bullying – name-calling, use derogatory statements or remarks
- Sexual bullying – mostly targeted towards girls in teens.
Who gets bullied in schools?
The physical appearance of the target
The person who is the victim of bullying may be physically different. For example, he/ she may be overweight, tall, wearing a new pair of spectacles, etc. These physical characteristics attract bullying in school
Racial differences
As we are a society of people from different races and castes. Many get prone to bullying with differences in race and caste.
Physical illness
Students who have learning disabilities like dyslexia, ADHD, autism, and slow learning, can fall victim to the bullies. As mostly bullies look for people who have some weakness, children with special needs easily fall prey to them.