(c) HealBYourself
How Bullying and being Bullied impact an Adolescent Mind
Meaning of Bullying
A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions by one or more persons and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself.
Adolescents who bully have strong needs for power and have a desire to dominate in a negative way. They find satisfaction in causing injury and suffering to other students.
Bullies can have their own reasons for behaving in an unusual way. It may need to cover their own feelings of inadequacy. They might lack good adult role models. If they see parents bullying them or each other, they might regard this type of behavior as simply the way one should act. Other children fall in with a peer group that bullies. They may learn it from friends.
Impact of Bullying
Bullying not only impacts the Bullied adversely but also the onlookers. They perceive school as an unsafe environment. The bullied child can develop low self esteem, the onlookers become too careful of all their actions. They may think that something is wrong with them, depression, poor grades in school. This leads to a loss of self respect and in extreme cases suicidal thoughts.
A structured counselling program can help the adolescents who are Bullies, Bullied and Onlookers. They need to speak to a counsellor for help.
The counselling targets of such a program are
- Make bullies more empathetic
- Help victims and onlookers with self awareness
School environment should be such that children understand from the moment they start school that bullying, aggression and violence are not acceptable. In the absence of such strong message potential bullies find expression for their aggressive behavior. A proactive policy which is more than a rule book can be a very strong deterrent. Schools must enforce anti-bullying policy which makes the bully or any responsible or adults who fail in their duty accountable for their behavior
Adolescents who silently observe are fearful and powerless to act. They also feel guilty for not acting and some even participate in bullying.
