Bullying Report
Yvette Cantu
BSHS 325
Monday, June 09, 2014

Today we will be discussing bullying. What is bullying you ask? Bullying is defined as situations were one individual or even a group of individuals uses violent behavior over another. “Violence among children and young people is considered to be any physical or psychological violent behavior aimed at children and young people” (Dracic, 2009, Pg. 216). Bullying can cause the victim to have low self-esteem, become closed off from family, and may even cause life-long psychological issues.
Bullying is about power and abuse. The individual getting bullied feels threatened, uncomfortable and unsafe. Bullying is an issue that affects millions of students. “1 out of 4 kids are bullied and up to 43% of students have been bullied online” (Dracic, 2009, Pg. 216). Bullying can cause the victim to commit suicide. Adolescents that are “bullied are likely to experience depression, anxiety, sadness, loneliness, and changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest” (O'Moore & Kirkham, 2001, Pg. 272). The victims of bullying may start to miss, skip, and might even drop out of school. These patterns can continue into adulthood. Why do bullies bully? This often happens because they have been bullied themselves or are going through a hard time at home. They may not feel loved or needed. So they take their hurt out on others that they see as weaker than they are. How to identify bullying behavior? There are many types of bullying such as verbal, physical, and cyber bullying. We as teachers, counselors, and school staff can look out for these types of bullying behavior. Verbal bullying is the use of name calling, and taunting. Physical bullying is the intent to hurt a child. This can include physical violence such as fighting, pushing, and throwing objects. Signs to look out for are : Pushing, shoving, spreading of rumors, keeping certain people “out” of a group for no reason, teasing in a mean and hurtful way, and getting people to gang up on others. Another type of bullying can be seen through the use of electronic devices. Cyber-bullying occurs when people bully by internet, email, or text. Bullies may send mean text messages or emails. They may also post nasty messages or pictures about an individual in a blog or website, and may spread rumors or lies over the internet. With websites such as Myspace, Facebook, and twitter this type of bullying has increased (Dracic, 2009, Pg. 217). Bullying affects an individual’s self-esteem. A person’s childhood is very important because it affects the way they feel about themselves as adults and the way they perceive life. “A child who is continually bullied can develop low self-esteem” (O'Moore & Kirkham, 2001, Pg. 275). Self-esteem is how an individual perceives themselves. He or she can even begin to dislike themselves and hate their flaws. For example, if a child is being teased for being overweight then he or she may start disliking himself or herself for being that way. Bullying can have a huge effect of the way an individual feels. Children who develop low self-esteem as a result of bullying also begin to isolate themselves. They may want to stay away from social activities for the fear of being looked at or bullied. They would want to stay home more instead of going out and may start to close themselves up from family. Children deal with bullying in different ways some may experience overeating and weight gain as