Bullying and Harassment

Bullying and Harassment

Bullying and harassment are common behaviours that are experienced in the workplace, school, and social functions. Anyone can be a victim of bullying and harassment; however, the practice affects the victims, the perpetrators and the witnesses. These practices are associated with adverse effects that could facilitate the development of mental health, suicide attempts, and substance use (Roland, 2017).  Although harassment and bullying are common practices at a different field of life, the effects of these practices are often exacerbated by status-oriented hierarchy, patriarchy, and lack of access to assistance or social support. Bullying and harassment behaviours such as unfair treatment, spreading lies, denial of promotion or training opportunities, and undermining others can result in adverse mental and emotional well-being.

Difference Between Harassment and Bullying

Both bullying and harassment practices are known to make an individual feel offended or intimidated. Both practices can happen by phone, email, or by letter and often result in various problems to the victim, the bully, and the institution due to diminished productivity (Sharma, Scafide, Dalal, & Maughan, 2019). The practices are similar in that they both entail hurting another person through offensive, cruel, and insulting practices. However, while most people tend to use both terms interchangeably, bullying and harassment are quite different.

Bullying entails unreasonable behavior such as intimidating, threatening, victimization, and humiliation, which can create risks to health and safety, and the overall well-being. Bullying can range from verbal bullying to physical, social, and cyber-bullying. It is a form of aggression due to power imbalance in that the victimizer has more power over the victim. Harassment, on the other hand, is a form of discrimination that is outlaws under the Equality Act of 2010 in the UK. According to Sharma, Scafide, Dalal, & Maughan, (2019), harassment revolves around intrusive, unwanted, and offensive behavior with a racial, physical, or sexual individual. According to the equality act, it is prohibited to treat another person less favourably on the basis of gender, disability, or race.

Harassment has physical contact and entails touch and contact or intrusion into one’s personal possessions and space while causing undesirable damages. Bullying is exclusively psychological but may also include some physical aspects, especially when the bully is a male. Harassment is often motivated by outward personal aspects such as race, gender, or disability while bullying is often motivated by hidden personal characteristics such as integrity, competence or popularity. Bullying entails, the accumulation of small incidents which appear trivial when taken independently while harassment consists of outright incidents that may be diminished in number.  The person being harassed is often aware of the act while the one being bullied may not understand the motive until they reach a moment of enlightenment.

Characteristics of Bullies

Bullying entails the mistreatment of a perceived weaker individual without any regard for their values or rights. Bullies have the need to control and dominate other people for fear that they are not adequate in terms of their intellectually, power, and strength, which creates the need to prove themselves to others. They often feel the need to control and hurt others since their lives are out of control. According to Smith and Thompson (2017), bullies have psychological issues that cause them to have anger and poor impulse control. Their emotions are not in control, an aspect that causes them to become emotionally unbalanced. Bullies are characterized by poor impulse control in that they tend to get overridden by anger and fear, which eliminates obstacles to act on their emotions. They have poor mental control which affects their ability to prevent the outbursts of emotion.

Roland (2017) postulates that bullies have feelings of superiority and often lack any empathy for other people. They are good at dehumanizing other people in order to inflict physical or mental violence on them easily. They have intolerant differences about issues that they do not agree to, such as religious, economic, political or social groups. They are hard on others and often fail to take responsibility for their actions on people.

Characteristics of Victims

Although any person can become a victim of bullying, there are some people who tend to fall, victims, most of the time. Individuals with an insecure personality are likely to fall victims of bullying. Those who act anxiously and submissively with high tendencies of insecurity may provide victims with the clue that they are perfect victims. Those who experience depression or bodily signs of stress such as headaches are likely to be bullied than those who appear stable and of good health. Low acceptance by peers or those who appear different in certain ways – special needs, bisexual, very smart – are easy targets for victims. People who stand out from the rest for exceptional smartness of hail from a different cultural background are often singled out as easy targets by bullies. Physical weakness or failure in obvious tasks can cause one to fall a victim of bullying. According to Smith & Thompson (2017), children who come from overprotective families are likely to appear weak even in adulthood, an aspect that causes them to have a weak personality. Bullies are out to reach to individuals who lack the strength and ability to argue their case without feeling intimidated.

Causes and Risk Factors of Bullying

The main risk factors and causes of bullying are often facilitated by a low understanding of social and emotional interactions. The tendency to get upset easily can facilitate bullying risk factors. Suffering from depression or anxiety and an actual or perceived obesity can also exacerbate the risk factors. Underweight and personality issues increase the likelihood of becoming a victim of bullying. Being a lesbian, transgender, gay, or bisexual youth increases the risk of bullying compared to other heterosexual counterparts. Immigrants or individuals with disabilities are more vulnerable to bullying. Bullying is often caused by feelings of insecurity, anger, and fear, which causes an individual to lack the ability to control the emotions effectively.

Signs and Symptoms of Bullying

As a teacher, change in behavior is a common sign to tell whether a student is a victim of bullying. For instance, one can tell that their student is being bullied if they show signs of unreasonableness and aggression. Getting involved in fights frequently and refusing to talk about events that are considered wrong is a sign that an individual is being bullied. A teacher should be on the lookout for unexplained cuts, bruises, and scratches, particularly those that appear after lunch or recess. A student that is being bullied is likely to have damaged or missing clothes or belongings. Those who undergo bullying often experience emotional imbalance that could affect their productivity in school to diminish considerably (Bodkin-Andrews, Whittaker, Cooper, Parada, Denson, & Bansel, 2017). The habit of being alone or appearing as though they are excluded from groups could be an indication that one is being bullied. Confident students who change their willingness and ability to speak in class could be caused by diminished self-esteem as a result of bullying. A student who appears frightened or insecure most of the time is an indication that they are being bullied. A teacher should be keen on those who are frequent targets for mimicking or teasing by other students. The loss of confidence as a result of bullying causes them to become an easy target to bullies.

Long-Term Effects of Bullying

Bullying results in short-term and long-term effects on both the bully and the victim. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that bullying is a threat to mental stability and has long term effects on the bully and the victim.

Victims of bullying are likely to suffer long-term effects of bullying if proper mental treatment is not put into place. According to Wang, Brittain, McDougall, & Vaillancourt (2016), victims are at high risks of developing poor general healthy, substance abuse, chronic depression, increased risk of suicide plans, and thought and anxiety disorders. Victims could also find it difficult to establish trusting relationships and to reciprocate friendships due to emotional instability. Research shows that victims of bullying often show self-destructive acts and are likely to harm themselves or others. Post-traumatic stress disorder is common and often results in the victims becoming bullies, an aspect that creates an unending cycle.

Although the victim is likely to suffer the most as a result of bullying acts, the bully is also prone to long-term effects that could affect their health and well-being. Failure to treat a bully could cause issues in their adulthood, most of which could range from substance abuse, antisocial behaviours, and high risks of a child or spousal abuse. Bullies have lower chances of getting a proper education, having stable marriages, or being employed. Due, Damsgaard, Rasmussen, & Holstein (2019), explains that bullying has serious long-term and short-term effects and immediate intervention is necessary. Families and institutions should identify ways of reducing and eradicating bullying acts in order to help the bully and the victim.

Ways to Stop Bullying

As an educator, one should create a healthy and safe environment that protects all students from bullying. Teachers should identify bullying on a consistent basis in order to create a culture of dignity and respect in the classroom.

Teachers must talk about bullying and ensure the promotion of emotional intelligence and empathy to ensure that other students understand the consequences of bullying. Teachers should make bullies understand that such practices cannot be tolerated and are punishable. Teachers should ensure that they are visible in the vicinity where bullying is likely to occur, such as in the bathrooms, lunchroom, and hallways. The school should have close supervision and monitoring in areas where there is frequent bullying. However, although monitoring is important, building the students from within can have long-term effects. It is necessary to advance emotional and social learning through impacting innate skills that facilitate social awareness, self-awareness, self-management, and effective decision making.

Students should be taught to be active bystanders by getting encouraged to stand against all forms of bullying behavior. The teachers should provide safe and confidential strategies that can be used to report bullying incidents. Building a positive climate in the school environs can help to foster healthy development. According to Wang, Brittain, McDougall, & Vaillancourt (2016), a negative school environment is often associated with high rates of bullying, victimization, aggression, and lack of safety.

Treatment Options for Bullying

Parents and teachers should devise a plan to stop abuse and bullying in order to rebuild the victim’s self-esteem. Victims should be taught constructive thought patterns in order to succeed in the present and in future.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a form of treatment that is modelled at enabling the child to identify and express their feelings on being bullied. This medication strategy teaches essential skills for overcoming feelings and rebuilding one’s self-esteem in a manner as to feel optimistic and confident about themselves and the future.

Medication

Clinicians often recommend the provision of anti-depressant or anti-anxiety mediation to help the child feel comfortable and relaxed while working on various coping skills. Providing high-quality services in convenient environments can help to enhance the well-being of victims.

Therapy

Bullying counselling can be used to help the victims to learn to move on from the experiences (Due, Damsgaard, Rasmussen, & Holstein, 2019). Such therapy can help the victims to boost their confidence and establish a self-belief mechanism.

Intervention

Teachers and parents can undertake intervention strategies to reduce the chances of a similar incident in future.

Relocation

Parents can remove their children from the environments where they feel unwanted to another learning institution. However, this should be followed by counselling to help them get over the previous incidents with ease.

Actions of Parents if they Think Their Children are Bullying Others

After learning that a child is bullying others, one should move forward by taking appropriate action. The parent should identify the reasons why a child is bullied, which often results from peer pressure and sense of entitlement. Regardless of the reason for bullying, a parent should strive to discipline their child for poor choices. The parent must address the practice by talking to the child by talking to them and state explicitly that they will be punished for their actions. One must also identify the root cause in order to come up with the most appropriate plan to discipline the child. Understanding the root cause will enable the parent to identify the best mechanisms to handle the practice – advising on the importance of resisting all forms of peer pressure to maintain healthy friendships.

The parent should come up with logical consequences such as the loss of digital gadgets if they are involved in cyberbullying. The parent should be aware that the child’s bullying action is a choice that they are aware of, and she should be made to take responsibility for her actions. The parent should ensure that the child owns the actions and takes responsibility for her actions. It is important to work hard to instil empathy in the child by helping them to understand the victim’s feelings (Georgiou, Ioannou, & Stavrinides, 2017). The parent can deny child privileges such as electronics, the privilege to attend special events or use social media. In addition, it is important to support the disciplinary plan implemented by the institution without causing them to evade the consequences. These actions should help the child to understand that there are consequences for every bad choice.

Treatment Options for People who Bully Others

Cognitive behavior therapy is the most effective form of treatment for people who bully others. This treatment approach will help the bullies to change their way of acting, feeling, and thinking. This therapy can help to change how they feel about being depressed, scared, or anxious and instead become confident (Cartwright, 2017). Therapy should teach bullies to have a problem-solving attitude by getting rid of self-defeating thoughts. Cognitive behavior therapy can help individuals to deal with medical and physical problems such as lessening pain to avoid portraying the pain on other victims. As Rosen, DeOrnellas, & Scott (2018) explains, the CBT approach will help the victims to cope with fears and improve their self-esteem while handling negative thoughts about self and about others. This approach will help one to communicate their fears openly and confront destructive thoughts that are often portrayed on others. It will also help those involved to challenge and confront destructive thoughts by identifying the most effective coping mechanisms. Helping the bully to enhance their communication with other people will enable them to change their attitude and address their anger and control their issues with other people.

How to Act when you See Someone Being Bullied

When in a situation where an individual is being bullied, it is necessary to talk with the individual who is being bullied. It is important to find out how one can help them out of the situation. In the same situation, one should listen to the parties without making any judgments since the person being bullied could feel powerless to get over the bullying scenario. It is important to avoid making judgments since the victim could feel sensitive and get scared to discuss it. According to Mikkelsen, Hansen, Persson, Byrgesen, & Hogh (2020), bullying can hurt the victim’s confidence; informing that you care and inviting them to do things with you can help to build their confidence. Why it is important to act directly, it is also necessary to inform an adult such as a teacher, parent, or principal about the incident. Involving a trustworthy adult could help the victim to speak out, in which case, they would increase their chances of getting assisted. Since there is strength in numbers, one can encourage friends to stand for unethical practices and protect victims. Confronting the action can encourage bullies to know that their actions are not good and enable the victim to feel good about their esteem and self-worth.

Measures to Prevent Bullying in School

Institutions should identify bullying actions and language in themselves and in other people. Schools should strive to teach affirmative communication skills by creating a positive environment with a less likelihood of bullying. It is also important to establish an anonymous system where victims can report incidents of bullying and ensure that the incidents are handled conclusively. The system should encourage classroom discussion about bullying in order to sensitize the learners in order to raise their self-esteem and self-awareness (Sharma, Scafide, Dalal, & Maughan, 2019). Institutions should also teach the students effective skills for managing bullying acts such as role-playing on the subject. For instance, students can write plays and poems about bullying scenarios in school in order for how the victim, bully, and supporter often feel.

In a bid to address bullying problems, our institution has implemented counselling sessions to help victims and bullies understand their problems and how best to control them. Every class in the institution is often engaged in bullying awareness activities such as plays and poems to discourage those who engage in such acts. The school has also devised serious consequences for those involved in bullying acts. According to our policy, it is illegal, and the institution has zero tolerance for those involved in bullying behavior. Stakeholders have engaged in activities that make it easy to reach to the root cause of the bullying act. Families should also examine their relationships to ensure that no bullying is existent at home.

Where can Teachers Find Information on Bullying

Information on bullying can be found on the list of references listed below.

References

Bodkin-Andrews, G., Whittaker, A., Cooper, E., Parada, R. H., Denson, N., & Bansel, P. (2017). Moving beyond essentialism: Aboriginal parental perceptions of school bullying and school engagement. In Indigenous Children Growing Up Strong (pp. 153-178). Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53435-4_8

Cartwright, N. (2017). Combatting bullying in school: the role of peer helpers. In Peer Counselling in Schools (pp. 97-105). Routledge.

Due, P., Damsgaard, M. T., Rasmussen, M., & Holstein, B. E. (2019). Trends in Social Inequality in Exposure to Bullying at School 1994-2018. Journal of Education, Society and Behavioural Science, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.9734/jesbs/2019/v32i130160

Georgiou, S. N., Ioannou, M., & Stavrinides, P. (2017). Parenting styles and bullying at school: The mediating role of locus of control. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology, 5(4), 226-242. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683603.2016.1225237

Menesini, E., & Salmivalli, C. (2017). Bullying in schools: the state of knowledge and effective interventions. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 22(sup1), 240-253. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2017.1279740

Mikkelsen, E. G., Hansen, Å. M., Persson, R., Byrgesen, M. F., & Hogh, A. (2020). Individual consequences of being exposed to workplace bullying. In Bullying and Harassment in the workplace.: Developments in Theory, Research and Practice. 3rd. Edition. CRC Press. DOI: 10.1080/00131881.2018.1454263

Roland, E. (2017). A system-oriented strategy against bullying. In bullying (1989) (pp. 143-151). Routledge.

Roland, E. (2017). A system-oriented strategy against bullying. In bullying (1989) (pp. 143-151). Routledge.

Rosen, H. R., DeOrnellas, K., & Scott, S. R. (2018). Bullying in School. Perspectives from School Staff, Students, and Parents. New York: SAM Ficher. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057%2F978-1-137-59298-9

Sharma, S., Scafide, K., Dalal, R. S., & Maughan, E. (2019). Individual and organizational characteristics associated with workplace bullying of school nurses in Virginia. The Journal of School Nursing, 1059840519871606. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059840519871606

Smith, P. K., & Thompson, D. (2017). Practical approaches to bullying. Routledge.

Wang, W., Brittain, H., McDougall, P., & Vaillancourt, T. (2016). Bullying and school transition: Context or development?. Child Abuse & Neglect, 51, 237-248.