Bullying and How to Prevent It (pt 3)

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Why does one become a bully-reason #2 “School bullying has been the object of systematic study since the late 1970's, thanks to the pioneering large-scale research carried out by Dan Olweus (1978) in Scandinavian countries.” (Kapari, 2010). Bullying is not a new phenomena. The fact is, it has always been prevalent. One can go back to the Bible and find evidences of bullies: Samson, Saul, Joseph's older brothers- just to name a few. The difference is 1. modern technology makes it easier to expose and 2. attitudes have changed so that it is not an accepted or ignored form of behavior. Often bullying was ignored because it started in the home with the parents. The outside world was not aware of what was going on in the home or there was the prevalent mindset of minding one's own business even at the expense of a child. Reason 2: Child Abuse "Children who were exposed to violence in the home engaged in higher levels of physical bullying than youngsters who were not witnesses to such behavior, according to a study by researchers from the University of Washington and Indiana University." (Shwarz, 2006). Once again, a child, whose life is spinning out of control, who is riddled with abuse and/or neglect, will resort to becoming a bully in order to gain some type of control. Bullying starts out as a coping mechanism, then becomes a way of life. What do you think? Should suspected child abuse be reported. There are so many cases reported that are not viable. They are reported out of revenge (as in the case of divorce and child custody). They are reported by over zealous case workers trying to make a name for themselves. They are reported by political and philosophical opponenets (as is the case with those opposed to homeschooling). So with so many intentional false reports, often those who genuinely care are afraid to report because they don't want to cause problems just in case their suspicions are wrong. What about the mentality that what goes on in someone else's home is no one else's business? People think if they ignore it, it will eventually get better. Some are afraid to report because the situation could be made worse. This issue comes down to more than: to report or not to report. So when and how does one get involved if they suspect abuse? REFERENCES Kapari, K & Stavrou, P. (2010). School characteristics as predictors of bullying and victimization among Greek middle school students. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF VIOLENCE AND SCHOOL, 11, SEPTEMBER 2010, 93-113. Shwarz, Joel (2006). Violence in the home leads to higher rates of childhood bullying. UW NEWS. Retrieved from: https://www.washington.edu/news/2006/09/12/violence-in-the-home-leads-to-higher-rates-of-childhood-bullying/