Bullying: Why it Happens and How to Stop It

The numbers are staggering: in a survey of 15,000 students, one of every three reported that they had experienced occasional or frequent bullying (Nansel & others, 2001). But what constitutes bullying in 2016 and why does it happen? By definition, it’s “verbal or physical behavior intended to disturb someone less powerful.” We’ve all seen it, from the classic playground fights to the steal-your-lunch-money hallway incidents. We should, however, bear in mind that today’s generation faces yet another form of peer torment: cyberbullying. Those of us born way back in the 80’s can’t really imagine being bullied through technology, but it does happen frequently and there are many social media platforms which bullies can take advantage of to humiliate their peers. These days, a bully needs only a keyboard or smartphone. This poses a somewhat new and even greater challenge for professionals attempting to curb the problem in schools. The bottom line is that whether we’re talking about cyber or in-the-flesh bullying, school professionals are on the front lines and need to be informed and ready to take positive action.

Understanding root causes of bullying is vital to making it less prevalent in our schools. Psychological research shows that the “typical” bullies come from authoritarian households in which punishment (both physical and emotional), indifference, and lack of warmth are common. Due to these turbulent upbringings, bullies often display rage or hostility, and can appear to be “morally disengaged.” (Obermann, 2011). These are some of the triggers that lead to bullying but the outcomes it produces are equally important for us to understand. Children who are bullied often suffer from depression, may resort to self-harm, and even ideate or attempt suicide. More recent studies add that these young people are more prone to developing borderline personality disorder and to struggle with other social inhibitions later in life. The bullies themselves may fall into destructive patterns in adulthood such as antisocial and even criminal behavior.

Granted, those were a couple of pretty grim paragraphs. I’d like to turn now to what we can do to help both those being bullied as well as those perpetrating the abuse. School-based interventions have yielded mixed success in the past (Vreeman & Carroll, 2007), yet some initiatives, such as psychologist Dan Olweus’ Bullying Prevention Program, have resulted in a marked decline of bullying in schools. You can link to his highly respected program here: http://www.bullyingpreventioninstitute.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=5BnCPJGFPhc%3D&tabid=72

According to Mr. Olweus, adults at schools should follow a few basic principles:
“Show warmth and positive interest and be involved in the students’ lives.” A wonderful psychology professor of mine explained that what we “speak into” adolescents can leave a lasting effect. We truly need to speak compassion and understanding into our students.

1. “Set firm limits to unacceptable behavior.” It is important for us to set and adhere to the standards that we’d like to see in our schools and classrooms.
2. “Consistently use nonphysical, non-hostile negative consequences when rules are broken.” It’s important that we don’t model hostile behavior. An enormous part of growing up is seeing and repeating modeled behavior from adults such as parents or teachers. We need to be, as the next point highlights, positive, strong models for our students.
3. “Function as authorities and positive role models.”

Unfortunately, bullying is not going away, and is actually evolving as time goes on. As with any problem in our schools, we must stay informed and ready to intervene in order to keep our students safe, both physically and mentally.

References:

Nansel, T.R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R., Ruan, W., Simmons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying behaviors among U.S. youth. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285, 1094-2100.

Oberman, M.L. (2011). Moral disengagement in self-reported and peer-nominated school bullying. Aggressive Behavior, 37, 133-144.

Vreeman, R.C., & Carroll, A.E. (2007) A systematic review of school-based interventions to prevent bullying. Archive of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 161, 78-88.

Written by Phil Lane