How Bullying Affects Students' Education and Long-Term Well-Being

Introduction

The central question this research seeks to answer is: does bullying affect an individual's education? The author takes the position that bullying most certainly does affect individuals in terms of their quality of education, and that its effects continue to impact both those who are bullied and those who perpetrate the bullying behavior. This paper defines bullying within the educational environment, identifies the signs of bullying behavior, examines preventative measures, distinguishes types of bullying, and addresses common myths surrounding those who bully others.

Some important facts about violence in schools are worth noting at the outset. One-third of all injury deaths in the United States are attributed to intentional school violence. As violence has risen sharply in society, it has also risen in schools and in areas surrounding them. Unhealthy family relationships and school personnel's exposure to violent television programs, films, and video games are among the factors that appear to contribute to in-school violent behavior.

Bullying can take place both directly and indirectly. It is defined as the repeated exposure of a student — or group of students — to negative actions directed at another individual. Inclusive in this definition are factors such as aggressive behavior, intentional harm-doing, repetition, and an interpersonal relationship "characterized by an imbalance of power" (Colorado.edu Website, n.d.). The definition proposed by Tattum and Tattum (1992) states that "bullying is the willful, conscious desire to hurt another and put him/her under stress." An individual who acts on this desire is, by definition, a bully; those who consider such actions but choose not to act on them are not. Bullying may be physical or it may occur on a psychological level. Olweus suggests that an "imbalance of power" is both present when bullying occurs and a contributing factor to its occurrence.

Bullying Defined and Its Types

Direct bullying constitutes an open attack on the individual. This includes physical attacks such as hitting, kicking, pushing, and choking, as well as verbal attacks and harassment such as name-calling, threats, taunting, cruel teasing, spreading rumors, and slander. Indirect bullying is often more difficult to detect than direct bullying. It is characterized by intentional social isolation and exclusion, making faces or obscene gestures, and the manipulation of friendships and relationships.

A number of widespread myths surround the subject of bullying. Research provides important corrective facts for each of them.

Myth 1: Bullies suffer from insecurity and low self-esteem and pick on others to make themselves feel more secure.
Fact: Self-esteem among bullies is average to above average; however, they tend to have aggressive temperaments, a lack of empathy, and a history of poor parenting (Starr, 2000).

Myth 2: Bullies seek attention, and ignoring them will stop the behavior.
Fact: What bullies seek is control. While they may temporarily cease bullying when ignored, if adults do not address the behavior directly, the bully generally escalates to a more serious level of bullying.

Common Myths About Bullying

Myth 3: Boys will be boys, and bullying is a normal part of growing up.
Fact: Bullies generally remain bullies and eventually become involved in criminal activity. Of all those who finish middle school as bullies, sixty percent will have committed at least one crime by the age of 24.

Myth 4: Bullies outgrow the behavior over time.
Fact: Bullying behavior is not outgrown; it is redirected. Sixty percent of bullies will have committed a crime by age 24.

Myth 5: Victims of bullies simply need to learn to stand up for themselves.
Fact: Bullies typically target those who are younger or weaker and who lack the social skills needed to form meaningful friendships or manage social situations independently. Victims are generally selected because they are "sensitive, anxious, and not likely or unable to retaliate" — not because of physical differences (Starr, 2000).

Myth 6: Large classrooms and large schools create environments that are more conducive to bullying.
Fact: No established link exists between the size of a school and the incidence of bullying. In fact, some research findings suggest there is less bullying in larger schools, not more.

Myth 7: Most bullying occurs somewhere other than school grounds.
Fact: Most bullying occurs on school grounds.

Myth 8: Only a small number of students are affected by bullying.
Fact: In the United States, 25% of students are victims of bullying and 20% are bullies. The National Association of School Psychologists has estimated that 160,000 children stay home from school every day to avoid being bullied.

Myth 9: If bullying is a problem in the classroom, the teacher is aware of it.
Fact: Victims of bullying report incidents only reluctantly, out of fear of retaliation, embarrassment, and the awareness that bullies tend to justify their own behavior.

Conclusion

The list of long-term effects goes on and on, providing the basis for this researcher to conclusively state that victims of bullies suffer long-term effects and problems from the incidences of being bullied while at school. The evidence reviewed here makes clear that bullying is not a passing childhood concern but a significant educational and public health issue requiring sustained adult attention and institutional commitment.