The concept of bullying is complex and involves the paradigms of human nature.
Post#1
Why is human nature so complex in what we believe is right and wrong? There is a lot of grey area in the way individuals identify others and themselves in situations. Most of the time, individuals view themselves as the better person instead of looking at the situation from a bystander point. However, being a bystander still doesn't necessarily mean that what they think is considered "right" as well.
Generally, the emotions we feel are a defining factor for us. They are perplexing and can make us not clearly think about what is happening. We like to blame others for our mistakes and lousy situations, even when we know we are at fault. For example, in a situation where we see bullying take place, what do most people actually do? The people involved are the bully, victim, and bystanders. The bully is typically seen as a more masculine person, although this is a false idealization. A bully can come in many forms and the reason that they are identified as “bullies” can arise from many factors. For example, these factors can include the way they look, act, and express themselves. These factors can lead to misconceptions of who they truly are and why they may resent others.
The victim can also be more than just being identified as a “victim.” They could actually be a bully to their bully as well as others. The victim could have different values from the bully and so they could have taunted the bully which can be a possibility for why “bullying” happens. In every bullying situation, there is more than what meets the eye.
Human nature is selfish and continues to pursue conflicting values. The ideals that we continue have is ever evolving so the definition of bullying is unclear due to our selfish society. We have expectations that we place on others and ourselves, which is what makes us blind in seeing the truth.
What Makes a Bully?
Post #2
Bullying is defined in the dictionary as “a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people.” Why is bullying defined in such a harsh way? Bullying is much more complex than how it is defined. The neglect of perspectives and emotions when considering how to define a bully makes us seem blind in a sense. Bullying can come in many forms
1. Verbal Bullying is where one writes or says mean things about another. This can include teasing, taunting, and saying inappropriate things about another. Why does verbal bullying start? In my opinion, I know that there are feelings of one wanting to feel superior over another. I admit that when I was young, I wanted to be “popular.” I wanted to view me better than the average person whether it was grades, looks, or how many friends I had. I was a judgmental child so I didn’t realize that the way I viewed life was wrong and the behavior I displayed was ugly.
2.Social Bullying includes purposely harming one’s reputation and relationships. Examples of this kind of behavior include ostracizing one from group activities purposely, embarrassing them in public, and spreading rumors
3.. Physical Bullying is where one physically harms another or another’s belongings. For example, pushing someone or kicking someone’s bag is considered physical bullying.
References:
1. http://www.stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/definition/index.html
2. http://www.stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/definition/index.html
Comment: I think you raise an interesting point regarding victims that can actually be a bully. It's important to note that these victims who turn bullies maybe fighting a different battle then what was orginally intended. For example, the victim can turn a bully when instead of allowing the bully to continue attacking them, the orginal victim can stike up for themselves and essentially turn the tables. This idea also correlates to your argument that their is more than reaches the eye. I completely agree with this statement. - Kara
I think its very interesting that you broke the topic down into different forms of bullying. I believe that cyberbullying may also fall under verbal and social bulying according to your defintions. It may be interesting to explore which is the most common type of bullying. I imagine it would be verbal bullying as that occurs daily. Are there any ages that correlate directly with the different forms?
Post #3
Over the few weeks that we worked on the Interview Project, I wondered if I able to convey my message properly or not. The person I interviewed was Elizabeth Shelleby who is a researcher and faculty member in the Psychology Department at the University of Pittsburgh. She was insightful in her thoughts and answers to the interview questions that I asked her. I thought it was interesting that she said “Bullying can be defined in many different ways. I think of bullying as a power differential between the person who is bullying somebody and the victim.” I agree with this point because about 28% of children in grades 6-12th have been bullied and approximately 30% of young people admitted to bullying others.
Bullying is something that happens behind the scenes or on display for others to see. We both discussed that adults and teachers play a major role in children’s development so it is the adult’s role to stop bullying and teach that bullying is wrong and a behavior that should not be repeated. Roughly 70.4% of teachers in school have witnessed bullying, but sometimes these teachers don’t do anything to stop this behavior which is why bullying continues to happen in school. I think adults have an obligation to teach children positive behaviors because there are the who children look to for behaviors to follow.
Everyone has mirroring neurons where as young babies, they look at behaviors and facial images, and mirror what is taking place. We shouldn’t blame children for being bad on their own because we are at fault as well. If we don’t reinforce positive behaviors and continue to allow bullying, then we should be blaming ourselves for this type of society.