Bullying is the habitual infliction of physical and psychological abuse on victims, which can occur in schools, workplaces, and online. Bullies target those they perceive as weak, and their behavior can lead to emotional withdrawal, anxiety, and behavioral changes in victims. Early intervention is important to prevent further antisocial behavior. Avoiding interaction with the bully and standing up to them are two ways to deal with bullying. Reporting bullying behavior to parents, teachers, and colleagues is also crucial. One person speaking up can end the bullying.
A bully is someone who is habitually mean to others, inflicting physical and psychological abuse on their victims. Bullies can appear in schools, workplaces and on the internet. Bullying can also take on an international scale when nations oppose each other with their policies and militaries. Bullying can be extremely damaging on all levels and there are a variety of ways to deal with bullies and their actions.
Bullies tend to target targets they deem weak. Children, for example, will target children younger than themselves, along with children who look different because of race, disability or fashion sense. People who seem emotionally weak can also be targeted for bullying. Bullies themselves are often past or current victims of bullying. Children who have an unstable home life, for example, may take their frustration and aggression out on other children.
Many bullies use physical intimidation and threats to scare their victims into silence. A victim of bullying may become emotionally withdrawn, shy, anxious or easily upset and may exhibit noticeable behavioral changes. For example, a child who is bullied at the pool may start to avoid it, even though they previously enjoyed going there, or a bullied employee may change their work habits to avoid the bully. Someone being bullied online might start using the internet yes or demonstrate a drop in self esteem.
Bullying behavior often marks the beginning of larger antisocial behavior, which is why it’s important to catch bullies early. In addition to sparing victims significant pain and suffering, early intervention can also prevent the development of further antisocial behaviors, getting the bully the help they need to deal with problems at home, emotional stress, and other issues.
There are two sides to dealing with a bully: avoiding interaction with the bully to reduce incidents and standing up to the bully in case avoidance doesn’t work. While it’s not recommended to completely change your lifestyle and habits to avoid a bully, common-sense precautions like taking a different route through the office, walking to school with a friend, or using websites that don’t are conducive to bullying behavior is a good step to take. In case you encounter a bully, not engaging is the best strategy. Bullies feed on fear and expressions of emotion, so standing up to the bully, saying “no” to requests, and walking away can often be very effective.
It is also important to report bullying behavior. Because children are sometimes afraid or ashamed of being victimized, encouraging children to report bullies is a good idea. Parents and siblings who have experienced bullying should also talk to the children about their past, to illustrate that many people are bullied and that talking is the right thing to do. It is also important to communicate with teachers and school staff about bullying issues. In the case of workplace bullies, talking about the problem with a boss or colleague helps, and cyberbullies can often be addressed through referrals to the owners of the websites where they congregate: it may be possible to ban a bully from a site if his or his bullying causes demonstrable harm.
If you notice bullying behavior, you can also take action. Sometimes it takes just one person to speak up and end the bullying.
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