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Bullying is a relationship problem
People can bullied for lots of reasons. Sometimes they are bullied because they are different, or because they are clever or popular. It can be caused by differences in race, sexuality, religion, disabilities and abilities, weight, height or anything that creates a difference between one child and another. At other times they are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Individuals who bully sometimes have problems and are unhappy. They may be trying to make up for a lack of attention, power or love in their own lives; by bullying, they try to get these in their own lives. These people need to feel powerful and seem to enjoy harming others. They often do not understand the feelings of the person they bully.
Those who persistently bully often do so in order to dominate others and improve their own social status. Bullying often comes from a belief that it's okay to act that way. Sometimes they don't even know that what they are doing is bullying behaviour, or they don't understand how much hurt and anxiety they cause.
Some common reasons why someone may bully others
To gain a sense of power among their classmates.
To get attention or become popular.
They are scared, so they try to scare others to hide their feelings.
They are unhappy and take it out on others.
They are being bullied themselves.
To get things they want.
To copy someone they admire.
To make themselves feel better when they are feeling bad about themselves or jealous of someone else.
Because they feel that another person is becoming more popular than they are in their group.
They hope to use it as a way to make people be their friend.
They are unhappy and take it out on others.
They are being bullied themselves.
To get things they want.
To copy someone they admire.
To make themselves feel better when they are feeling bad about themselves or jealous of someone else.
Because they feel that another person is becoming more popular than they are in their group.
They hope to use it as a way to make people be their friend.
While bullying can happen to any student, it is know that some are more likely than others to be bullied. Vulnerable groups include individuals with disabilities or special educational needs, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) individuals and those perceived to be LGBTQ, and people of a culture, race or religion that differs from the main culture, race or religion at work.
Prejudice
Bullying sometimes involves people commenting on and judging other's personal attributes and how they are different. These negative comments can relate to:
appearance and weight
ability or disability
gender, sex and sexuality
culture, race and religion
socio-economic status.
ability or disability
gender, sex and sexuality
culture, race and religion
socio-economic status.
This type of bullying is linked to prejudices that we learn from our family group and our wider social community about the value of diversity in the community.
Fitting in
There are social norms within groups of people and also the workplace. The company's norms are modelled by the staff and other adults in the broader community.
Individuals who 'stand out' as different from the norms within their group are most likely to be bullied. Bullying can be used as a way to enforce group norms about how to appear and behave.
Group norms and views about which workers are of 'greater' social standing come from society's values about power and status. This process happens as children and young people absorb and copy the norms, values and prejudices of their society and community.
Activity:
In the comments section, I'd like you to discuss any prejudices that you may have ever had or prejudices that you may have had to face for some reason or the other.
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