Bullying Defined:
Bullying is characterized by
repeated, unprovoked harassment of another individual in which that individual
has difficulty defending him/herself.
Examples of Bullying include:
-
Punching, shoving and other acts that cause physical harm
-
Spreading rumors (including cyber-bullying)
-
Excluding people from a "group"
-
Teasing in a mean way
-
Getting certain people to "gang up" on others
Bullying involves more than
a "bully" and a "victim":
- Bullying
is broken down into 5 categories along a continuum of involvement:
bullies, victims, bully-victims, bystanders, and not involved with
bullying
Bullying is a pervasive
problem facing schools today.
- 8.4% to 20% of children report being bullied
multiple times per week. (Nansel et al., 2001; Limber & Small,
2000)
- As
many as 44.6% of children report being bullied at least once per year
(Haynie et al., 2001).
- 9%
to 13% of children report bullying others several times
per week (Nansel et al., 2001; Limber & Small, 2000)
- 24%
to 25% of children admit to bullying others at least once per year (Nansel
et al., 2001; Haynie et al., 2001)
Bullying is an ecological
phenomenon, which adversely affects many aspects of one's life.
As a result, those involved in bullying
may experience:
- Poor academic performance and school
failure
- Poor
mental and psychological health (e.g. depression, anxiety, & behavioral problems)
- Delinquency
- Poor
peer relationships
- Suicide risk