Stereotypes Of Bullying In Schools

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.

Police, teachers, principals, state senators, and many others claim it’s not bullying that causes these mind numbing numbers of suicides and school shootings. They truly believe it is mental illness, depression, anger, and PTSD that causes the overwhelming number of suicides and shootings. What they fail to comprehend is that those are side effects as a result of being bullied.

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.

“The great majority of school shootings are perpetrated by victims of bullying.” states Izzy Kalman (qtd in Kalman) I believe that school violence can be stemmed from bullying. The violence is often caused by the victims of bullying or the bullies themselves. I was bullied as a child and I remember how humiliated I would feel some days. Over time, that humiliation turned into anger, and in turn I wanted to hurt those that had hurt me. I never did hurt anyone, but that isn’t always the case. Bullying is a problem that is not taken seriously enough and can lead to school shootings and suicide.

A method of preventing school shootings would be to acknowledge risk factors that the student is facing. For example, bullying is a risk factor for school shootings. In a research study done in 2001 of 37 school shootings, it was reported that 75% of the school shooters felt bullied, threatened, or injured by others in which most of the shooters in the report had experienced long-term bullying and harassment from their peers (Duplechain & Morris, 2014). In addition, the authors do state: “School personnel too often accept that children get teased and bullied every day, because teachers, parents, students, and other adults have grown up thinking that bullying is a normal part of school life. It has easily become an accepted part of today’s school culture” (Ibid, 2014). The authors believe that schools view bullying as something that students should get used to. This does show how bullying is an issue in schools. It is not solely to blame in regards to school shootings, but is a risk factor for them.

It is up to everyone to be aware of kids who are getting bullied in order to stop it. If students at school held the example that bullying is not at all cool it would reduce greatly considering many of them copy their friends. As it is obvious many of the kids who commit suicide are so young more help should be sent out to them in order for them to escape the torment. Being that suicide happens more with younger kids that is why I feel like what we are doing now to stop bullying is not enough because many still have to do with it. If bullies saw the serious punishments it came with they would surely stop. All the kids need is someone there for them guiding them and telling them they are worth living. Some have no one in their life they can count on so giving them that love and caring would boost their

This paper focuses on the idea of prevention of bullying and school violence. It also takes a look at the events leading up to the shooting at Columbine High School. Could the tragedy have been prevented? If so, how? These boys most likely had serious mental illness. According to Cullen (2004) “ Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were radically different individuals, with vastly different motives and opposite mental conditions.” The boys were also severely bullied for being different than their peers. Make Beats not Beat Downs (2009) made the observation that 86% of students said, “other kids picking on them, making fun of them or bullying them” causes teenagers to turn to lethal violence in the schools. We need to work together in order to bring an end to bullying and school violence.

Bullying is happening all over the world and it is a huge problem. According to www.bullyingstatistics.org, victims of bullying are between 2 to 9 times more likely to commit or consider suicide. If bullying is stopped or lowered around the world, the suicide levels would drop as well. Telling about bullies can help others going through it.

With sound, scholarly evidence, Newman argues that a majority of school shootings are caused due to the surroundings of the shooter. Therefore, she examines the connections of the individual shooters and takes a deeper look at their culture and communities. She finds that overall, “fifty-three percent were called names, fourteen percent were threatened and five percent were physically hurt”, and gained the knowledge that out of many incidents of school shootings, sixty-three percent of the cases were triggered by bullying (Newman 504). There has been a growing body of research that link a strong relationship between bullying and mass violence. For instance, Professors Michael Kimmel and Matthew Mahler of Stony Brook University found that most

It is without a doubt that there has been an increase in violent crimes in schools throughout recent years. School shootings continue to become more and more common, especially in North America. Safety concerns for any and all students and staff in schools are at all all time high due to the high number of fatal and non-fatal occurring incidences. Since 2013 to the present, it is estimated that the United States has seen approximately 205 school shootings. Weekly, that is a shocking one shooting on average. Many of these shootings have resulted in the injuries and deaths of multiple of students and staff members. (Everytown Research, 2017) Evidently, school shootings are tragic events that affect so many more people than just the victims. However, these events are also interesting to look at from the psychological and sociological point of views. Through much research, it can be concluded that school shootings are a complex problem that are caused by a mix of improper brain development and societal and media influences which motivate school shooters to emerge. Psychological factors may include struggling with mental illnesses and/or abuse that leads to damaged brain development. Additionally, being bullied and/or the role of the media are examples of sociological factors.

In 12 of 15 school shootings in the 90’s, the shooters had a history of being bullied (Effects of Bullying). Depression, anxiety, dismal and basic biological needs are a result of bullying. According to 11 Facts About Bullying, over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year and approximately 160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying. Bullying can lead to self harm, isolation, and loss of interests. The factors that contribute to the behavior of bullies is their home life, the way they think, and external events around them.

Bullying causes suicide. There is a firm link between suicide and bullying, as stated by many reports on bullying-related suicides in the United States and many other countries. “Children who are bullied as well as those who bully others are more likely to contemplate or attempt suicide” (Strickland 1). The National Center for Educational Statistics, in 2009, said nearly 1 in 3 students between the ages of 12 and 18 reported being bullied in school. “Bullycide,” is a term that is increasingly finding its way into the educational lexicon as a result of several teen suicides that were attributed at least in part to bullying.

Bullying is the cause of many suicides and deaths (Home n. pag). In McCormack’s article, he explains how many students are bullied each day and harassed to the point where they question their own self-esteem. They are no longer

Many people do not realize how serious bullying has become. If you look at statistics suicides due to bullying have increased over just a few short years. This has become a very big problem for not only the victim but the bully as well as it affect both of them. School bullying is mentally destructive to not only the victims, but bullies because of the harmful words, harassment, and physical violence involved as well as the consequences for the bully.