Profile of bullying behavior and social dynamics

Bullying can effectively affect the well-being of a student at not only the physical but also the emotional level. In that regard, there exists a need for schools to come up with strategies on how to minimize the same. In this text, I develop the profile of bullies and their victims. Further, I highlight the impact of bullying and how it can be prevented.

What is Bullying?

School bulling in basic terms has got to do with all forms of harassment that take place within the school premises. The said harassment is in most cases peer-to-peer. This is the meaning of bullying that will be adopted in this text. According to Spielberger (2004), bulling has a number of essential elements, that is: "It is intentional, it is repeated over time, and there is an imbalance of power between the bully and the victim."

Bullying: Profiles of the Bully and the Victim

A Bully's Profile

Bullies typically exhibit a number of distinctive characteristics. To begin with, bullies as Huesmann (1994) points out tend to be aggressive towards their peers. As the author further points out, bullies could also display some level of aggression towards their siblings, parents, or even teachers. In general terms, aggression could manifest itself in a number of ways, i.e. It could be verbal, physical, or passive. For instance, an aggressive student is more likely than not to pick up fights with others, issue threats to peers, use abusive language, or be generally hostile to others. Constant noncompliance is yet another sign of aggression.

According to Huesmann (1994), the attitude bullies have to violence also tends to be rather passive. In that regard, they are more likely to engage in violence than their peers. A student who bullies his or her peers could also have a lower self-esteem. In that regard, bullying becomes a tool for seeking respect and attention as the perpetrators of the same struggle to cover up their own misplaced insecurities. It can also be noted that generally, bullies tend to be physically stronger than their victims (Huesmann, 1994).

A Victim's Profile

Just like is the case with most bullies, victims of bullying also exhibit a number of distinct characteristics. It is however important to note from the onset that "one cannot explain the bullying as a consequence of the victims themselves being provocative to their peers" (Huesmann, 1994). To begin with, students with submissive personalities are more likely to be bullied than those with assertive personalities. For instance, a child who cries at the least provocation could be a target of bullies who derive pleasure from touting others. The fact that a submissive student cannot defend him or herself makes such a student a perfect victim for bullying.

Next, it is also important to note that in comparison to their counterparts who do not experience bullying, victims of the same tend to be introverts with fewer friends. In a way, students in this category could be victims of peer rejection and for this reason; they tend to be rather isolated. This makes them easy targets for bullying. Further, victims of bullying as Huesmann (1994) points out tend to be a lot more insecure than their counterparts who do not experience bullying. The author also notes that victims in this case come across as being rather quiet and cautious. Bullies tend to be aware that bullying quiet and cautious students has minimal repercussions as such students are unlikely to speak out or report the matter to school authorities.

Further, like I have already pointed out elsewhere in this text, victims of bullying are more likely than not to be physically weaker than their counterparts who engage in bullying. This according to Huesmann (1994) is more so the case if the said victims happen to be boys. The pain tolerance levels of victims could also be significantly low.

Minimizing Bullying in Schools

The impact bullying has on victims is largely negative. For instance, on the academic front, Rigby (2007) points out that bullying could affect the concentration levels of students who happen to be victims of the same. Further, as Rigby further notes, research studies conducted in the past have clearly shown that the health of children who happen to be victims of bullying at school could be seriously affected. In that regard, the need to minimize bullying in schools cannot be overstated.