When you think of bullying…..
When we think of bullying we often think of young people in elementary or junior high school or high school. Bullying can occur in high school and to young/older adults. We have different labels for bullying as we grow older but it is still unwanted behavior in which an individual or individuals take advantage of others who they feel will not “fight back” or who will respond passively to their attacks. These attacks can range from placing painful words or pictures about/of someone on social media or embarrassing them in public. Some call it “pranks” when they model behavior that cause others pain and those who laugh at their antics are feeding this disturbing behavior. Bullying can occur on the job, at church, or any place that will provide a stage that will give the aggressor the desired attention they crave when embarrassing others. It is called “harassment” when bullying occurs among adults. There is no age limit to bullying and it thrives when the aggressors feel powerful and feel they will not be discovered or they will not suffer any repercussions for their behavior. Those who are bullies in childhood often continue to be bullies as adults. The victims of adult bullying may find little or no sympathy from their co-workers, friends and family members. After all, we are big now; we should not let silly things like bullying bother us (http://www.mentalhealthsupport.co.uk/AdultBullying.html) What society doesn’t understand is when we fail to “take a stand” against harassment and/or bullying we are actually condoning it. As you view the video think about this:
“If I sing a song and you don’t hear. If I give you words and you don’t read. If I paint you picture and you don’t see you have just deleted me.” Our youth and young adults need our help and support.
Please provide support for Boys Town Anti-Bullying Campaign through signing up for their informational emails.
Call LifeLines at 804-356-8465 for assistance and support.
When we think of bullying we often think of young people in elementary or junior high school or high school. Bullying can occur in high school and to young/older adults. We have different labels for bullying as we grow older but it is still unwanted behavior in which an individual or individuals take advantage of others who they feel will not “fight back” or who will respond passively to their attacks. These attacks can range from placing painful words or pictures about/of someone on social media or embarrassing them in public. Some call it “pranks” when they model behavior that cause others pain and those who laugh at their antics are feeding this disturbing behavior. Bullying can occur on the job, at church, or any place that will provide a stage that will give the aggressor the desired attention they crave when embarrassing others. It is called “harassment” when bullying occurs among adults. There is no age limit to bullying and it thrives when the aggressors feel powerful and feel they will not be discovered or they will not suffer any repercussions for their behavior. Those who are bullies in childhood often continue to be bullies as adults. The victims of adult bullying may find little or no sympathy from their co-workers, friends and family members. After all, we are big now; we should not let silly things like bullying bother us (http://www.mentalhealthsupport.co.uk/AdultBullying.html) What society doesn’t understand is when we fail to “take a stand” against harassment and/or bullying we are actually condoning it. As you view the video think about this:
- Bullying can be defined as a type of aggressive behaviour which is intentional, repeated, and usually involves imbalance of power between the bully and the victim (Olweus, 1993). It’s usually seen among school children, but also among adults in relationships or in workplaces.
This type of aggressive behaviour must be repeated and involve an imbalance of power to be considered bullying.
It’s usually occurring during or after school hours, in school building or playground, but can also happen travelling to or from school, in the neighbourhood or on the Internet.
(https://www.ukwristbands.com/bullying-statistics) - Two Minnesota girls who felt bullied by their peers killed themselves in an apparent suicide pact during a sleepover at one of the teen's homes (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/04/21/bullied-minnesota-girls-reportedly-hang-apparent-suicide-pact)
- It is estimated that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students. Source: National Education Association.
- Verbal Adult Bully: Words can be quite damaging. Adult bullies who use this type of tactic may start rumors about the victim, or use sarcastic or demeaning language to dominate or humiliate another person. This subtle type of bullying also has the advantage - to the bully - of being difficult to document. However, the emotional and psychological impacts of verbal bullying can be felt quite keenly and can result in reduced job performance and even depression (http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/adult-bullying.html)
- Narcissistic Adult Bully: This type of adult bully is self-centered and does not share empathy with others. Additionally, there is little anxiety about consequences. He or she seems to feel good about him or herself, but in reality has a brittle narcissism that requires putting others down. (http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/adult-bullying.html)
- Bully-related suicide can be connected to any type of bullying, including physical bullying, emotional bullying, cyberbullying, and sexting, or circulating suggestive or nude photos or messaging. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according to the CDC. For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 suicide attempts. Over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide, and almost 7 percent have attempted it.(http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html)
“If I sing a song and you don’t hear. If I give you words and you don’t read. If I paint you picture and you don’t see you have just deleted me.” Our youth and young adults need our help and support.
Please provide support for Boys Town Anti-Bullying Campaign through signing up for their informational emails.
Call LifeLines at 804-356-8465 for assistance and support.