The problem of school bullying has been addressed on different levels, including political, economic, cultural, juridical, educational, and many others. The causes of bullying vary, but they lead to severe issues that can remain unresolved for years. Bullying is aggressive behavior that can be seen in different children, teenagers, and adults, and it is able to lead to problems with mental and physical health, social life, and the ability to work. In this paper, the causes of bullying and the effects of it will be presented and discussed.
To understand the causes behind bullying, a precise definition of it needs to be presented. According to deLara, bullying can range from “psychological intimidation (e.g. sexual gestures) to verbal abuse (e.g. name-calling) to physical abuse (e.g. kicking) to life-threatening violence” (weapon threat) (2). Bullying is double-sided, as it can be used both as a psychological attack and as a defense. It is also important to notice that bullying is always unwanted and is able to cause lasting problems both for the bully and the bullied. In schools, students can also practice the so-called social bullying, when they leave one of the students out, spread rumors about that student, or persuade others not to befriend this person or to ignore them together (deLara 2). Nevertheless, deLara also stresses that bullying can have different definitions, depending on the individual’s experience (4). Moreover, a bully and a victim can also be the same person (deLara 4). The author also criticizes the definition given by the US Department of Education that excludes siblings and dating partners from the definition; as the author states, siblings and dating partners can bully each other too (deLara 6). Therefore, bullying can affect anyone.
There are different reasons why people decide to bully somebody; among others, psychological traumas, specific cultural and societal factors, or complicated relationships with and aggressive behavior of parents are more likely to influence the person’s decision to bully somebody (deLara 17). A person is more likely to be bullied if they are “different,” e.g. they are of a different race, gender, sexuality, have disabilities, problems with health, etc. Moreover, the possible effects of bullying, including traumas and even a PTSD syndrome, are rarely discussed by the public (deLara 5). These effects can vary and severely complicate adult life.
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