There
are many people who, at some point in their lives, encounter what is
known as a bully. There are a lot of them and they exist in every
place with a group of people who go everyday such as school.
Actually, not just in school, there is also in workplaces, fastfoods
and many others. They come from all walks of lives, all ages,
all genders, all races, and all cultures.
One
of the things I found is that the effects of bullying, both for the
bully and the bullied, can be felt even in adulthood. If left
unchecked, it shapes the way we live. Next, they generally find
someone who is either weaker than them, different from them or having
something that can compromise that person's reputation. Though it's
usually the first one. Another is that different people react
differently to those events. Some are lucky and eventually are left
alone and some are not so lucky. They are subjected to different
kinds of stuff ranging from childish acts to those outright cruel.
These can either toughen the person or create anger in them.
Who
remembers the infamous Columbine High School massacre of 1999? For a
brief info, that's when two high school students went on a rampage
that left scores of their fellow students dead and the nation
completely stunned. The country blamed the game Doom, which the two
were avid gamers of, and rallied to take the game down instead of
focusing on the deeper psychological issues these troubled boys dealt
with.
 |
| Yeah, these two. |
My
first brush with a bully was at fifth grade. I was not even sure how
it started. But it went on till I decided to seek assistance from the
authorities(namely, my parents and the teachers). I thought that it
would stop the incessant pushing and paper throwing and rumor
mongering but no. In fact, it merely compelled them to continue, even
more than before.
As
years go by, bullying is still existent but less subtle. Probably
from slight maturation. Even then, the effect remains the same or
sometimes worse.
In
an article by Alice Walton at Forbes website entitled The
psychological effects of bullying last well into adulthood, study
finds, the author states that in a survey, they found out that
each one falls at one category of bullying. These are the bullied who
never bullied others, the bully and the ones who switch roles.
The
author said that kids in "the bullied" section had greater
risk for depressions and anxiety disorders at adulthood. The
"switcher role" section most likely suffered from these
depressions already, including suicidal thoughts and panic disorders.
Interestingly, the bullies did not have these risks but instead are
at risk for antisocial personality disorder.
Alice
Walton added "The fact that depression was such a risk in
later life, for both sexes, the authors say, provides strong evidence
that being a victim of bullying or being both a victim and a
perpetrator is a risk factor for serious emotional
problems…independent of preexisting problems.” So bullying does have its risks. In fact, this would pose a big problem for us and the next generation.
In
another similar article by Steven Reinberg of Health US News called Childhood
bullying can leave lifelong scars, it is stated that kids
that had been bullied and also bullied other kids seemed to be in the
worst lot. They had thoughts of depression and hurting themselves
when they were adults. They have the worst long-term outcomes.
So
bullying does have its risks. That's why intervention is so
important. But it's still like a survival of the fittest thing to
some.
 |
| Yeah, right. |
Taken from the aforementioned article, Reinberg says a known
quote, “Bullying is not just a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part
of growing up”
It's true but society keeps pushing it to become a fact. That is
what mustn't happen as it will become a fish-eat-fish world in school, as well
as creating more Columbine incidents. Hopefully it will take a turn so the next
generation won't have the same experience.
It is in the hand of that person's parents and friends whether
that person suffers or not. Intervention is really important in these cases as
even a person's life may be at stake.
By the way, are you the bully, one of the bullied or both?
