Hey guys, let’s discuss High School Bully. By the time high school is over instances of physical bullying diminish however emotional and verbal bullying is increasing, taking on new forms such as gender-based, sexual, social, and sexual harassment.
Bullying in the school of speech generally involves rude language or negative remarks regarding a person’s appearance or belief. Bullying that is emotional takes the abuse further with acts such as giving an individual the silence, spreading sexist or offensive rumors, or intentionally provoking others with whispers or laughing before them. School bullying can also be characterized by graffiti on lockers or school walls as well as threats of violence, exclusion, hazing, and distancing students.
Additionally, cyberbullying is now one of the weapons of choice of a lot of bullies, who utilize the Internet and other electronic platforms to harass and snare their victims. From sharing gossip and rumors on social media to harassing someone through email or text messages This type of bullying is now common across high school. A few cases have even caused the suicide of victims.
Students in high school can be victims or witness to bullying in traffic, also called vehicular bullying. Based on the Iowa Department of Transportation, this type of bullying can involve the deliberate attempt to hurt or kill a driver due to an accident that occurs in the vehicle. These types of incidents are the leading reason for car accidents in the United States. A study of 16 cities conducted by the American Automobile Association showed there was a total of 10,037 cases of driving aggressively within a single year, which resulted in over 12,610 injury.
High School Bully
like bullying outside the school context, refers to one or more perpetrators who have greater physical or social power than their victim and act aggressively toward their victim by verbal or physical means.
This behavior is not a one-off episode; it must be repetitive and habitual to be considered bullying. Students who are LGBT, have parents of lower educational levels, are thought to be provocative, are perceived to be vulnerable, or are atypical or considered outsiders are at higher risk of being victimized by bullies. Baron (1977) defined such “aggressive behaviour as behaviour that is directed towards the goal of harming or injuring another living being who is motivated to avoid such treatment”.
Historically, Thomas Hughes’s 1857 novel Tom Brown’s School Days details intensive school bullying, but the first major scholarly journal article to address school bullying appears to have been written in 1897. Research in school bullying has dramatically expanded over time, rising from 62 citations in the 90 years between 1900 and 1990, to 562 in the 4 years between 2000 and 2004.
What can you do To Prevent High School Bully
- Find out the school’s guidelines regarding bullying. If there isn’t one, then encourage them to create one.
- Inspire your children to speak out. Through saying “That’s not cool, let’s get out of here,” children are able to stand up for one others.
- Learn to teach the child how something as easy as standing with someone who is who is being bullied could be a positive change.
- Download the maskmatters to your child. (Available via Google and Apple play)
- What is bullying?
- Judgment
- Name calling, degrading comments
- Text “bombing” and negative text messages
- Cyberbullying (through text messages, social media and E-mails)
- Gossip
- Criticism
- Social isolation
- Harassment, hazing
- Defacing victim’s property
Conversation starters
- Do you realize that looking at the bully could cause him to stop?
- Did you know that just being right next to the victim can deter the bully?
- Did you know that when you get away from the bully, you could be showing the bully that your behavior isn’t appropriate or funny?
- Sometimes, just simply saying “that’s not cool, let’s get out of here” can deter the bully and give spectators the chance to speak out or leave.
- Do you have someone you would feel comfortable speaking to in the event of someone who was bullying you?
- Make a suggestion box, or hotline for your school, which allows students talk about their issues and concerns.
- Would you respond if started an Instagram account, and got 10 hate-filled messages in just a quarter of an hour?
- I’ve heard that bullying can be described as judgement or exclusion. What do you consider?
Potential Impacts
- Self-esteem is low.
- Social withdrawal
- Substance abuse
- Alcohol abuse
- Eating disorders
- Cutting, self-injury
- Suicidal thoughts
- Anxiety
- Academic performance declines
- A decrease in school attendance
Conclusion
Bullying can affect everyone, those who are bullied, those who bully, and those who witness bullying. Bullying is linked to many negative outcomes including impacts on mental health, substance use, and suicide. It is important to talk to kids to determine whether bullying or something else is a concern.
