Life Skill Series: Bullying

Compiled by Hasti Danesh

Definition of Bullying

To begin with, let’s define the term bullying as a commonly used word which refers to a particular issue. When kids hurt or scare other kids on purpose in any imaginable manner, bullying is taking place. This act is harmful and can hurt the people who are involved in. Usually kids who face bullies have a hard time standing up for themselves as they immediately lose their self-confidence. Bullying is a widespread and serious problem which might happen anywhere and anytime, even though it most often occurs in schools and areas where a number of kids gather. The kids who do the act mess around with others, trying to show off their nasty power and turn into a leader for others around them. The truth is that they might be physically strong and powerful, but they are weak deep inside and are just trying to attract attentions and to turn into the center of attention. Unfortunately kids who are bullied fail to defend them properly and there are even times when they are scared of reporting this issue to the related authorities whether in school or even at home. The chances are that they usually too embarrassed and shy to speak up for themselves and somehow appear weak or coward. But this is how they imagine themselves in this particular situation and no one will judge them based on this abuse. In most cases, if the bullied person does not act on time and report this abuse, he will face this serious harm time and again, whether by the same person or group or others who are by now certain that he/she is a weak child and can’t defend him/her. 

Types of Bullying

- Verbal: In this type of bullying, a kid or his group decide to call their target person a bad name and tease him in this way, weakening his confidence and personality in front of others.

- Physical: As a common type of bullying, a left-alone child is beaten up covertly by a kid or a group of kids who are usually older than him or have more physical power, at least apparently.

- Social: In this sort of bullying, a few kids act naughtily against another kid, making rumors about him, making up terrible stories about him and his family and even trying to harm his friendly relationship with other kids in his class.

As the commonest types of bullying, they challenge the person involved very seriously, making him concerned about his safety, personality and dignity in social environments such as school and neighborhood. In many instances, when the victim finds the courage to speak up, it becomes clear that a combination of these various types of bullying is somehow involved.

To be continued….