Being bullied is hurtful and stressful, and many children find it difficult to express their emotions about this topic. Bullying behavior can have devastating effects on a person, which can last into adulthood. At its worst, being bullied has driven children and young people to self-harm and even suicide. In cases of constant and violent bullying, children may view suicide as an avoidance of suffering. Such children gradually lose hope for a positive solution to the problem. Their hopelessness is reinforced by irrational thinking, and death seems to be the only way to dispose of despair and pain. Such thinking is provoked by the fact that they perceive their life as a burden for those they love and therefore believe that by choosing suicide, they will free their loved ones and cease to be a burden to society.
The consequences of bullying are long-lasting, and bullying victims can experience problems with relationships development with others and mental problems. What is more, adults who were victims of bullying in childhood show a higher level of depression and lower self-esteem. Due to problems caused by social isolation, victims of bullying suffer from social anxiety, and loneliness, and they are more likely to even have antisocial behavior.
Such behavior might negatively impact children who bully others as well. Most of the time, children who engage in violent behaviors project the same attitude into adulthood. Without external help, aggression might deteriorate, causing problems with maintaining effective relationships and self-image. As a result, children who bully others are more likely to abuse alcohol and other substances, drop out of school and pursue criminal activity.
In order to eliminate any bullying behavior and the detrimental effects of such situations, there is a need for methods of resolving disputes without violence. Such methods include listening and communicating with the children who impose bullying behaviors on others. In dialogue, participants should focus their attention on understanding rather than speaking. However, both parties must remain calm and communicate their problems clearly without any signs of aggression.
When the situation is more serious, there is little chance of resolving alone, it may be better to use a mediator such as a teacher. The mediation process is characterized by the parties involved communicating their problems to each other. The mediator does not make any ready-made decisions but only directs the interaction process. Thus, the mediator creates conditions for a better understanding of the disputants of each other. Mediation is one of the best approaches to developing a mutually acceptable, beneficial solution.
Hence, bullying has a negative impact on both the bullying party and the bullied party. In the case of the former party, students struggle with their aggression and might continue with criminal activity. In the case of the latter party, students may develop social anxiety, low self-esteem, and suicidal thoughts. Such methods of conflict resolution as mediation, communication, and listening may eliminate the harmful impact of such behavior without violence.
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