Conflict Perspective On Bullying

Bullying is one of the leading causes in teen suicide today. People bullied in the past or present have been studied and it has shown that they have a lower quality of life. Though they have a lower quality of life, the have better physical and mental health. (“Seaman” 1). Studies have shown that most bullying happens in middle school and high school. There is bullying in elementary school but it is minimal and less serious (“Bullying Statistics” 1). Most kids refuse to speak up while being bullied in fear that the bully will just taunt them more (“Cyber-Safety Act” 2). Bullying has become a very serious issue regarding our society today.

Bullying, by definition “is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance” (Stop Bullying). Bullying has quickly become a serious problem in schools, and it negatively impacts both the bully and the victim. Students who have been bullied even once in their lifetime have a higher risk of attempting suicide, and in general have lower self-esteem, causing them to have difficulty maintaining relationships. Bullies themselves also begin to harass their peers because they have been abused or uncared for by their own family. While it may seem bullying is just a normal part of the high school experience, victims of bullying can face many psychological problems. Bullying is not something that should be disregarded, but instead should be properly addressed so that children who are bullied can find the help they desperately need.

In 2015, roughly one out of four students (22%) reported being bullied (National Bullying Prevention Center). These students develop social withdrawal, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and physical complaints throughout their primary and secondary educational years (B.B. 77). Sometimes, it does not stop there. Students that have been bullied are 2.4 times more likely to report suicidal ideation and 3.3 times more likely to report a suicide attempt than their peers who report not being bullied (National Bullying Prevention Center). Measures need to be taken so that these statistics aren’t as high and alarming. Bullying is a problem, but it is a problem that can be resolved.

By looking at bullying from the symbolic interaction perspective those questions can be answered. The symbolic interaction theory views society as the product of everyday interactions. One interaction is through labeling others, or name calling. The labeling theory is a key part in the symbolic interaction theory. This is when a person behaves in a way that resembles the label they are given

Each perspective uniquely conceptualizes society, the social forces, and the human behavior that leads to bullying.

Bullying is defined as the prolonged malicious act of harming peers by abusing their own--or an existing imbalance of--power, and has become one of the most common sources of trauma among adolescents. One report shows that one of three children were victims of bullying during some point in their life, and that 10-14% of all adolescents were victims of chronic bullying for at least six months prior to participating in the survey. Children who were victims of bullying are also found to be at a higher risk of diagnoses for anxiety disorders and depression during young and middle adulthood. These victims are reported to be more likely to have lower levels of general/physical health, and lower educational acquirements than young and middle-aged adults who were not bullied (Wolke & Lereya, 2015). Because bullying is such a prominent problem, citizens, policymakers, and social scientists alike, should feel or have some social and moral obligation to address, and hopefully avert bullying. The state of bullying, and how it is enacted, is constantly changing and adapting to social frameworks. Because bullies can adapt to social changes and regulations, we, as a society, should be equally adaptive in how we perceive, address, prevent, and punish bullying.

Bullying is at an all-time high, as a result of being bullied, many depressed adolescents, and teens have committed suicide as a way to escape. Across all populations, genders, and race at some point in everyone’s life they have been the subject of bullying and or depression. It is obvious that everyone is susceptible to the highs and lows of depression no matter their social status or age.

In most cases 64% of students do not report being bullied and only 36 % of students report it. Moreover, having an adult intervene on behalf of the student being bullying has been effective in reducing the hostile behavior against the other student being bullied by more than half of the bullying situations by 57%. Programs against bullying have shown to decrease the percentage of children being bullied by up to 25%. Above all, students have reported to be bullied the most because of appearance by (55%), body shape by (37%), and race by (16%). Cyber bullying (online bullying) has become common among students and 19.6% of children become victims. From those children who are being cyber bullied 90% report being bullied in person as well. However, children who have a disability have a higher chance of being bullied two or three times more than children who are not disabled. Children who identify as LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) were also bullied because of what they identified themselves with in regards of their sexual orientation. For that reason, 81.9 students from the LGBTQ community were bullied. Overweight students were victims of bullying and 64% were reported. Lastly, being a victim of bullying elevates suicidal ideation by 2.4 attempts more, and 3.3 more times likely to prepare a plan and proceed to commit suicide. In conclusion, children need interventions such as positive reinforcement and cognitive therapy to overcome the effects of bullying (Pacer,

“Nationwide, one out of four students from the ages twelve to eighteen have been bullied. That is twenty five percent to the teenage/young adult population and these numbers are continuously to rise every day” (Wassdorp, Bradshaw, and Leaf 116, 149-156). Bullying is the action of repeated harmful acts or harassing another in various forms. Many situations fall under one or even multiple of these categories: physical, verbal, indirect, and cyber. What this does is strips the victim down from their identity and leaves them to pity themselves for being the way they are. Bullying is an issue in this nation because it tears apart the teenage/young adult population, and it is causing an increase in risk of suicide among these groups. Bullying is

Bullying has become a major issue in the United States and around the world. What brought the attention to people about bullying is the number of suicides that are committed by adolescents and the stories they share online or live television. Bullying is categorized to be direct verbal, direct physical, and indirect forms. Not every person has an idea how terrible bullying can be and how harmful it is to the victim. Bullying has driven students to commit actions they have never done before such as cutting themselves, suicidal thoughts, health disorders, and bad behavior. Bullying must be taken seriously, because it results in negative effects on its victims and may drive students to commit horrific actions. Lawmakers should draft anti-bullying legislation, students should stand up for one another, and society should work out what can be done to combat this problem.

Bullying is defined as the prolonged malicious act of harming peers by abusing their own--or an existing imbalance of--power, and has become one of the most common sources of trauma among adolescents. One report shows that one of three children were victims of bullying during some point in their life, and that 10-14% of all adolescents were victims of chronic bullying for at least six months prior to conducting the survey. Children who were victims of bullying are also found to be at a higher risk of diagnoses for anxiety disorders and depression during young and middle adulthood. These victims are reported to be more likely to have lower levels of general/physical health and lower educational acquirements than young and middle aged adults who were not bullied (Wolke & Lereya, 2015). Because bullying is such a prominent problem, citizens, policymakers, and social scientists alike, should feel or have some social and moral obligation to address, and hopefully avert bullying.

Bullying in American schools has become an underrated topic to converse about. It is a worldwide problem that can have negative consequences for the general school climate and for the right of students to learn in a safe environment without fear. Throughout Elementary schools, students are taught about bullying more than any other grade school. 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month. As generations have evolved, kids in all schools get bullied rapidly and are afraid to report it. They feel they have no one to go to and situations like this can ruin a young life. Students can start bullying at a young age and stay consistent through until they graduate. Young people commit suicide due to being bullied in American schools. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year according to the CDC.

Bullying surrounds today's society. It is to the point where the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared bullying the third leading cause of death in between the ages of ten and twenty four (Thompson). Almost daily, a new story is broadcasted on the news about someone getting beat to death or killing themselves because of bullying. In fact, on April twenty-ninth of this year, a seventeen year old high school student got brutally beaten outside of school on her way home. She made it to her house, but with severe injuries. When she went to sleep that night, she fell into a coma and never woke up (CNN). Unfortunately, situations like this are typical, especially in teenage females. According to survey results recently

In the past ten years, cyber bullying has become wildly spread. In schools, instead of altercations being face to face most of the bullying is being done behind a computer, or a phone screen. It’s a shame that schools aren’t doing enough to prevent kids from being tortured over the internet. Most schools aren’t noticing that even though it may not be happening during the week or on school computers it’s still happening and is affecting the students.

Back in the past many have focused on drug and alcohol use in school students along with students carrying weapons to schools, and it seemed as if no one was recognizing the significance of school bullying. For victims of bullying, they go to school every day facing harassment, taunting, and humiliation. Kids today come home and kill themselves or never want to go back to school because of BULLYING. “Studies show that 25-35% of teens encountered some type of bullying in their lifetime (Nansel et al,).” Bullying is a form of violent behavior that happens not only in the schools but everywhere. Kids everywhere have been exposed to bullying in school for generations and ages . Although bullying has always been a factor the consequences for