Bullying is intentional harmful behaviors toward others that are physically, verbally, or psychologically abusive. It occurs on more than one occasion and involves an imbalance of power between the bully and their victim (Graham). There are several myths still circulated about bullying. For example, many believe in the myth that the bully is socially rejected and have no friends. This is not reflective of reality, and research on this issue have demonstrated that bullies are often popular, with high social status in and out of the classroom. Another myth about bullying concerns the victim, wherein some adults regard it as a normal childhood experience which builds character in children that survive this victimization. Yet research demonstrates that peer victimization enhances the weaknesses a child has, such as when it makes a withdrawn child more withdrawn, which simply attracts more bullies.
There are many differences between bullies and their victims, such as high self-esteem in bullies but the opposite in victims, who are also high in self blame and loneliness, which is the reverse of the bully. These profiles can be used in intervention and prevention, including in cases of cyber bullying, which often involves social media and is increasingly prevalent due to the heavy use of technology by teens today (Myers). One intervention strategy for bullying is the establishment of schoolwide training for teachers on the way to respond when it occurs, while providing parent training is an effective method of prevention (Bradshaw 323). By providing training for teachers in the appropriate way to respond, it not only ensures their actions are effective, it also makes the bully aware that the response will also be consistent. Then, children will receive effective messaging from parents to prevent the message that bullying is just normal childhood behavior from reaching the bully.
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"The Reality of Bullying: Myths and Intervention Strategies".
- Bradshaw, Catherine. “Translating Research to Practice in Bullying Prevention.” 70.4 (2015): 322–332. Web.
- Graham, Sandra. “Bullying: A Module for Teachers.” Http://Www.Apa.Org, 2018, http://www.apa.org/education/k12/bullying.aspx.
- Myers, David G. Psychology in Everyday Life, 4th Edition. Worth Publishers, 2017. [Chegg].
