bullying EPI english

                 Bullying

Definition:

It is widely agreed upon that bullying is a subcategory of aggressive behavior characterized by at least the following three criteria: hostile intent, imbalance of power, and repetition over a period of time. Bullying may thus be defined as the activity of repeated, aggressive behavior intended to hurt another individual, physically, mentally or emotionally.

My personal idea of bullying:

Bullying is really hard to deal with especially being a teenager because it actually affects the individual’s personality negatively and has a big impact on a student’s psychological state and performance at school. It can drive some people to suicide because of fear, embarrassment and self-hate. The person will suffer because of the way he/she is getting treated. The victim isn’t the only one who suffers, in reality the bully himself is also suffering. If the bully didn’t have any sort of problems he could have been a normal peaceful person just like the others. This is why it often happens that the bully suffers from the lack of confidence and this is why he bullies others that are weaker than him to feel better about him/herself, but in reality he has a much more insecure personality than the victim.

Types:

Individual bullying can be classified into four types. 

Collective bullying is known as mobbing, and can include any of the individual types of bullying. Physical, verbal, and relational bullying are most prevalent in primary school and could also begin much earlier whilst continuing into later stages in individuals lives. It is stated that Cyber-bullying is more common in secondary school than in primary school.

-Physical:

This is any bullying that hurts someone’s body or damages their possessions. Stealing, shoving, hitting, fighting, and destroying property all are types of physical bullying. Physical bullying is rarely the first form of bullying that a target will experience. Often bullying will begin in a different form and later progress to physical violence. In physical bullying the main weapon the bully uses is their body when attacking their target. Sometimes groups of young adults will target and alienate a peer because of some adolescent prejudice. This can quickly lead to a situation where they are being taunted, tortured, and beaten-up by their fellow classmates. Physical bullying can lead to a tragic ending and therefore must be stopped quickly to prevent any further escalation.

-Individual:

Individual bullying tactics can be used by a single person against a target or targets.

-Verbal:

This is any bullying that is conducted by speaking. Calling names, spreading rumors, threatening somebody, and making fun of others are all forms of verbal bullying. Verbal bullying is one of the most common types of bullying. In verbal bullying the main weapon the bully uses is their voice. In many cases, verbal bullying is the province of girls. Girls are more subtle (and can be more devastating), in general, than boys. Girls use verbal bullying, as well as social exclusion techniques, to dominate and control other individuals and show their superiority and power. However, there are also many boys with subtlety enough to use verbal techniques for domination, and who are practiced in using words when they want to avoid the trouble that can come with physically bullying someone else.

-Relational:

This is any bullying that is done with the intent to hurt somebody’s reputation or social standing which can also link in with the techniques included in physical and verbal bullying. Relational Bullying is a form of bullying common amongst youth, but particularly upon girls. Relational bullying can be used as a tool by bullies to both improve their social standing and control others. Unlike physical bullying which is obvious, relational bullying is not overt and can continue for a long time without being noticed.

-Cyber-bullying:

Cyber bullying is the use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person. When an adult is involved, it may meet the definition of cyber-harassment or cyberstalking, a crime that can have legal consequences and involve jail time.This includes email, instant messaging, social networking sites (such as Facebook), text messages, and cell phones.

-Collective:

Collective bullying tactics are employed by more than one individual against a target or targets.

-Mobbing:

Mobbing refers to the bullying of an individual by a group, in any context, such as a family, peer group, school, workplace, neighborhood, community, or online. When it occurs as emotional abuse in the workplace, such as "ganging up" by co-workers, subordinates or superiors, to force someone out of the workplace through rumor, innuendo, intimidation, humiliation, discrediting, and isolation, it is also referred to as malicious, nonsexual, nonracial / racial, general harassment.

           Sami HAJJAR                

                   3e4