Bullying: A Psychological Perspective (1)
Children need to feel safe in their school environments in order for learning to be effective. Bullying tampers with the physical, emotional and social wellbeing of a child thus making it difficult for a bullied child to attain academic excellence. The lack of a strict anti-bullying policy also makes it very difficult for this ill to be curbed hence causing the unchecked bullies to become a menace to society.
What is Bullying?
Bullying is any act of violence or aggression carried out by an individual, or a group of individuals, whether physically or virtually, with intent to harm, torture, shame or instill fear in another individual.
Forms of Bullying
Bullying usually consists of repeated behaviours which can be physical, non-verbal, or verbal.
Physical bullying includes and is not limited to: actions that can cause damage to a person’s body or their possessions such as stealing, beating, sexual molestation, pranks, vandalism, extortion, shoving etc.
Verbal bullying can involve; threats, name-calling, teasing, spreading rumours, laughing at the individual, making derogatory jokes or statements, etc.
Non-verbal bullying may be; putting up the individual’s private content for public display, segregation of an individual, inappropriate facial expressions or body language, ignoring the individual, etc.
Who Can Bully?
· Students
· Academic Staff
· Non-academic Staff
· Parents
Reasons Why People Bully
· A false sense of entitlement
· Lack of responsibility on both the bully and the caretakers’ parts
· An absence of empathy or kindness
· Learned behaviour from others
· Dysfunctional family background
· A need for belonging
· Power dynamics
· Lack of awareness
Consequences of Bullying
· An unsafe learning environment
· Poor health such as sleep and diet changes
· Emotional and psychological breakdown
· Apathy towards learning and school
· Deficiency in social skills
· Death
Steps to Take in the Event of a Bullying Incident
· Avoid blaming the victim.
· Carry out an in-depth investigation to determine the nature and extent of bullying.
· Round up all those involved and allow them to face disciplinary action.
· Procure the services of a professional for proper psychological evaluation and therapeutic intervention.
· Send the victim to a certified hospital for medical evaluation.
· Invite the parents or guardians of the students involved for a meeting to enlighten them and guide them through the next steps. They should be advised to partake in the therapeutic process.
· Employment Termination (in the event that the perpetrator is a staff)
In Conclusion…
Bullying is wrong and must be stopped. As a society, we cannot continue to tolerate and keep silent about the inhumane activities meted out on children in schools. We must speak up and work towards making our school environments safe for children in this generation and in generations to come.
This conversation continues on our social media platforms. Join us there!
Till next week,
Ewoma Omoghene