Bullying In The United States

Bullying, often labeled as just a part of growing up, is a major problem in America’s schools today. Although it is such a hot topic in our country right now, it is also a long ignored problem that only seems to worsen. The complication with bullying is that no one quite understands it, and it is not taken seriously. The definition of bullying is an overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people. In more simple terms, bullying is not a onetime incident; it is repetitive and happens among individuals when there is an imbalance of power. Statistically, every one in six children are bullied, and this cannot continue to take place. Every child has the right to feel safe and have the pursuit of being happy in which bullying completely takes those rights away.

According to the American Psychological Association, “Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort. Bullying can take the form of physical contact, words or more subtle actions” (Bullying, 2013). People bully each other for several reasons and there are different outcomes that are a result of those reasons. People can be bullied physically, emotionally, or verbally. Bullying can take place at school or online. Bullying should be a considered a crime, but kids get away with it all the time; furthermore prevention can be used in order to keep kids safe from bullying.

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among people of all ages, but mostly school-age children. Society has been aware of bullying since around 1693, but it was not viewed as a real problem until the 1970s. “While overall incidents of school violence, such as assault and theft, have declined in the last decade, bullying is on the rise.” (qtd in Tyre) The percentage of middle and high school students that have been victimized by bullying went up from 14 percent in 2001 to 32 percent in 2009. (Tyre)

Bullying is defined as “verbal, physical, or psychological abuse or teasing accompanied by real or perceived imbalance of power” and is usually targets what children perceive as different (Olweus, 1993). Bullying is prevalent across the nation. It has devastating effects on students each day. Bullying is a problem for all students, regardless of race, gender or class. The National Education Association reports that 160,000 children are absent intentionally from school each day because they fear being bullied whether it is an attack or just intimidation by other students. This accounts for 15% of all school absenteeism (Hunter, 2012). Dan Olweus (1993) from the National School Safety Center tells us that bullying includes three parts: (1)

Bullying has engrained in American society since the country’s founding. Bred from a capitalistic economy and competitive social hierarchy, bullying has remained a relevant issue through the years. School age children are learning skills and lessons from their teachers as well as through peer interactions. Although schools are great tools that children benefit from, there are some bad experiences, such as bullying, that may negatively affect and remain with these children for the rest of their lives. Some

Bullying involves an observed or perceived power imbalance and is highly likely to be repeated behavior. A young person can be a perpetrator, a victim, or both (also known as a "bully/victim") (Cite). In order to study bullying in the United States, this paper will provide a thorough definition of bullying, which includes characteristics of bullies and those that are victims of bullying. This paper will also examine

Bullying has become a major topic of discussion within the education field in our country. The number of national public service announcements that center around controlling/stopping bullying has undoubtedly been heightened in the United States. Now more than ever, United States citizens are witnessing a constant influx of news stories developing around the problems that associate with bullying. This is certainly no different for those living in Northwest Ohio as more and more instances of bullying are being exposed at all educational levels with our children via local media outlets as well. Bullying has even hit close to home for me as a single mother as my 6-year-old daughter. She has already been battling with bullying as early as her kindergarten year of school, which in large part provoked this article’s creation. Before

When minors throughout the United States visualize bullying, they generally envision a substantially larger child physically picking on a much smaller individual. However, when asked about what harassment looks like, the majority of adolescents are unsure of what it is. Many times teenagers get bullying and harassment confused or assume they are the same. Harassment and bullying are related because they each have to do with someone hurting another person, but nonetheless, they are utterly different. Bullies put in great thought to who they will bully because bullying portrays a sense of power and they need someone who will satisfy this need. Harassers do not choose individuals who are smaller than them, but an equal. Harassers victims are peers

Everyone has encountered a bully at one point in their lifetime and if you say you have not then it was probably you. They are like the plague everyone avoids them at all cost even if it means taking the longest way to class. Bullies are not just born bullies they have something that fuels the fire and rage inside. School is supposed to be a safe place for children, but some kids fear school because they get bullied or picked on. Bullies often seem superior to others when really, they feel inferior inside because they are insecure or are having something go on in their home life. There are three common reasons a bully lashes out, the bully comes from a dysfunctional family, the bully feels the need to be in control, Bullying behavior gets rewarded.

Although not a new phenomenon, bullying has become an increasingly alarming problem facing young children all across the country. The American Justice Department bullying statistics show that one out of every four kids will be bullied sometime throughout their adolescence. While most of us agree that something needs to be done about the bullying problem in America, a solution has not been found to eliminate this problem. The problem is, school districts source their anti-bullying programs on a trial on error basis. While many may argue that these programs do work, this literature looks into the alternative way to promote anti-bullying which is through positive reinforcement by implementing a kindness program. This paper reviews one approach

Bullying is a growing problem in American schools; an increase in bullying over a period of time can lead to suicide or negative impacts on health. Although some believe that students should not be formally charged for bullying, they should be because that is a cruel act and could lead to negative things. Opponents suggest that students should not be formally charged with bullying. They argue that students do not have the capacity to understand the consequences of their actions. For example, if a student bullies another student, they have no way of knowing that their actions could lead to that student harming themselves.

Bullying is a problem that affects individuals from all age groups, but mainly widespread among adolescents. It includes behaviors that focus on making someone else feel insufficient by mocking or harassing them. Bullying involves using physical violence, emotional harassment, and verbally belittling speech. It entails active actions with the intention of ostracizing another person (Howard, Flora & Griffin, 1999). Physical harassment is a form of bullying where the bully attempts to dominate another teenager physically (Stevens, 2010). It consists of punching, kicking, and other physical harmful activities, which are used to introduce fear in the victim and possible coerce them to do something (Howard, Flora & Griffin, 1999). Verbal

School bullying and bullying as a whole has become a growing concern. The need for more intervention is more recognized, as incidents of bullying and inappropriate acts towards others occur in places outside of the classroom. This literature takes a closer look at bullying in schools. Olwesus (2013) states “the field of bullying research is to some extent plagued by problems, disagreements, and unresolved issues” (p.752). Whether if anyone will agree on the root of bullying, the fact remains that bullying has to be examined at its very core to remedy the matter before it becomes a bigger concern. There is a dire need for intervention based programs to be set in place to address the fact the act of bullying has lasting effects on the bully and the victim. When intervention programs are put into place to address bullying, the act of bullying decreases due to the gained understanding of the effects.

It is only in the recent years that attention has turned toward the widespread problem of bullying, especially in schools, and that bullying is identified as a serious problem that merits intervention and research (Coy). Therefore, relatively little effort has been made to overcome or address the problem, which still remains a widespread social vice. This paper purports to illustrate how, despite efforts made to rectify the situation, bullying still remains rampant, and is getting worse.

As kids we probably never understood the term “bully” or why we were subjected to being bullied or why other peers were getting bullied. The fact that some children are constantly harassing other peers verbally, physically, and socially to a point of self-harm is very heartbreaking. Bullying has definitely been an issue in schools for years and now it’s affecting our children as early as elementary school. According to an article from Family Circle, bullying amongst students has reached epidemic proportions, and it’s taking a heavy toll on our children. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to obtain understanding and awareness about the causes and effects of bullying in children.