Have you ever been bullied before?
If you have, you would be familiar with the pain and trauma that bullying can cause.
Bullies have existed all across history, and bullying is a problem that remains significant today.
The prevalence of online media has opened up new avenues for bullying, with cyberbullying being the best (worst) example.
What Constitutes Bullying? How Does Online Bullying Worsen It?
Many people (especially those who grew up in the previous generation(s)) assume that bullying is mostly physical, something that has to be done in person and in a tangible, obvious way. That’s not really true.
Bullying comes in many shapes, methods and forms.
While physical bullying is the most noticeable, the other types are equally troubling.
Apart from physical bullying, other types of bullying include:
- Verbal Bullying: Verbal bullying is a hidden threat because its injuries can go deeper than the physical level. Constant verbal bullying can cause emotional scarring and other psychologically-concerning issues. Examples of verbal bullying are name-calling or using statements to harm the victim.
- Cyberbullying: Cyberbullying involves the use of technology to threaten or harass another person. This is extremely common nowadays because nearly everyone has access to social media and online messenger services. Examples of this include spreading harmful gossip about the victim through social media, sending threatening emails, and posting harmful images.
- Prejudicial Bullying: This involves treating another religion, race, or sex in a demeaning manner.
- Sexual Bullying: Sexual bullying happens when the victim is targeted in connection to his or her sexuality. It also comes in many forms, like making sexual comments or gestures, touching, and threats. If left unaddressed, sexual bullying may lead to sexual assault.
There are many other types of bullying. These leave physical and emotional scars regardless of type, so addressing the problem sooner rather than later is of utmost importance.
Why Does Bullying Happen?
There is no singular and definitive reason for why bullying occurs. Some of the most common causes why a bully becomes one include the following:
- Insecurity and jealousy: Most bullies experience some degree of insecurity or envy towards others. These emotions are expressed through harming others through bullying.
- Financial: Some use bullying behavior as a fix to financial problems, with extortion and threats as an example. This is common with workplace bullying and may also happen in a school setting.
- Attention-seeking: Bullying is sometimes seen as attention-seeking behaviour when bullies attempt to draw attention to themselves.
- Control and power: These are among the most common causes of bullying. The bully picks on more vulnerable people to feel some sense of control or power.
Cyberbullying is a Problematic Issue Today
All forms of bullying are unacceptable, so you should constantly be on the watch.
Today, cyberbullying has become a large and problematic issue. This is one of the trickiest types to spot, mostly because it often leaves few if any physical signs of bullying.
Some signs may become apparent when a person is going through cyberbullying.
Many of these are emotional, like loss of self-esteem, lack of appetite, sudden mood changes, and difficulty sleeping. The problem may extend to have physical effects, such as weight loss (or weight gain) and the other repercussions of stress.
Digital traces also serve as acceptable proof, providing provide concrete evidence of bullying that may help address the problem when the need arises. Examples of digital traces include photos, emails, direct messages, and screenshots of the items used for bullying.
The Repercussions of Bullying
The effects of bullying, unfortunately, tend to creep into other aspects of the victim’s life. Worse, even a person’s social, academic, professional, and family life can be negatively affected. Some examples of these repercussions include:
1. Bullying may turn victims into bullies
Some victims end up feeling powerless and need to assume control over their lives.
As such, they end up bullying other people that they see as weaker than them.
Sadly, this leads to a cycle of bullying and only creates more victims as time goes on.
2. Emotional damage is extremely common
Emotional damage refers to any negative impact caused by a traumatic experience like bullying.
All types of bullying, whether physical or not, can lead to emotional damage. The longer or the more severe bullying goes on, the higher the risk of leaving an emotional impact.
Some of the most notable emotional effects include feelings of worthlessness, mood instability, depression, and excessive anger.
Psychological problems like major depression, anxiety, and panic disorders can even arise. These are problems that are especially significant in bullied children.
3. Physical harm is a significant risk
Bodily harm is one of the most noticeable effects of physical bullying.
The immediate physical damage that bullying directly causes can vary in seriousness.
However, what most people often overlook is the self-harm that may arise afterwards. The reasons for doing self-harm are not always clear to the victim, but the reality remains that it does happen.
4. Many long-term problems can occur from Bullying
The effects of severe bullying can be felt even years after the bullying has subsided.
In some cases, these effects may linger on an everyday basis. In others, these effects may only surface when a traumatic event occurs.
Regardless of how these effects transpire, addressing the issue is crucial.
5. Social impact of Bullying
Bullying can also have a significant effect on the social life of a child, adolescent or teen.
Many victims, for example, often end up being ostracized by their peers for fear of the bully.
Social anxiety is also a major repercussion that many victims face.
6. Negative effects of Bullying on academics
Victims are often filled with worry or dread in the presence of a bully.
Academic underperformance is common in bullied students since they cannot focus properly due to proximity to the bully.
7. Victim-blaming & Bullying
Victim-blaming involves placing the fault of an incident on the victim. Sadly, the culture of victim-blaming still exists all over the world.
Many bullying victims become the targets of victim-blaming, another unfortunate repercussion of bullying.
Statements like “you should be tougher” or “you did something to provoke the bully” can be harmful.
Deal with Bullying the Healthy Way
Bullying should never be dealt with lightly since it has many serious and long-term repercussions.
Some victims cope through questionable means, but healthy ways of dealing with the issue do exist.
Capital Choice Counselling can help you deal with the issue. To find out more about how our experienced, compassionate counsellors provide assistance, get in touch with us today.