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Explaining bullying with psychological theory
Social psychological theory of bullying
Social psychological theory of bullying
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A number of studies that have been conducted concluded with the fact that school bullying has become a global concern regardless of cultural differences. In light of this fact, there have been few studies that have examined individual factors that affect bullying. The current study that will be discussed attempts to determine the cause of bullying by using three main criminological theories, which are general theory of crime, differential association theory, and general strain theory. Concentration will be placed on the conclusive data found from the use of general strain theory. Moon, Hwang, and McCluskey (2011) conducted a longitudinal study that consisted of analyzing data from two waves of questionnaires given out to three separate schools throughout South Korea. The three schools were chosen based on population size surrounding the schools. Two of the schools were located in cities with a population of over 2.5 million, whereas the third school represented the more rural parts of South Kaorea with a modest population of 600,000. The eighth graders from each school were asked to participate in the study. The first waves of 900 questionnaires were distributed, and out of those 787 were completed. After a year had passed the second wave of questionnaires were distributed and a total of 655 questionnaires were collected from students of the original study. Through these questionnaires, there were six types of strain that were measured. These types of strain were family conflict, emotional and physical punishment by parents and teachers, financial stress, examination-related stress, and criminal victimization (Moon, Hwang, and McCluskey, 2011). Agnew (2001) believed that these forms of strain were vital in showing chances o... ... middle of paper ... ...he student may want to represent themselves as nicer than what they really are, or that they do not remember the numbers of specific events like some of the questions are asking for. These are all reasons why the data from this test Works Cited Moon, B., Hwang, H., & McCluskey, J. D. (2011). Causes of School Bullying: Empirical Test of a General Theory of Crime, Differential Association Theory, and General Strain Theory. Crime & Delinquency, 57(6), 849-877. doi:10.1177/0011128708315740 Agnew, R. (2001). Building on the foundation of general strain theory: Specifying thetypes of strain most likely to lead to crime and delinquency.Journal of Researchin Crime and Delinquency,38, 319-361. Kim, E. J., Kim, I., & Jung, T. (2001). Psychological vulnerabilities victimization at school bullying. Korean Journal of Clinical Psychology,20, 245-257
Agnew, R. (2011). Pressured into crime: General strain theory. In F. Cullen & R. Agnew (Eds.),
Bullying is a challenge, and it affects individual students, as well as the entire community. Bullying occurs along a continuum, with students assuming bully, victim, and bully-victim roles (Espelage & Horne, 2008) and is believed to create severe and long-term mental and physical consequences (Hawker & Boulton, 2000; Lunde, Frisen, & Hwang, 2007; Rigby, 2003; Smith, Ananiadou, & Cowie, 2003; Stassen Berger, 2007).
They are branded by the fear and the intimidation inflicted upon them has reduced them to a fractured spirit lacking determination. There is only a short amount of time before the victim begins to believe and consider the words, threats, and accusations of their tormentor and decide that a life of torment isn’t worth living. Bullying and suicide have become a common association in recent years as bullying has become prevalent among adolescents. “According to the 2005–2006 national Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) Survey, 34.4 % of U.S. students in Grades 6 through 10 reported bullying others in the past 30 days (Ha, 2015). However, rates of verbal bullying perpetration were higher (i.e., 37.4 %), while rates of relational bullying were slightly lower (i.e., 27.2 %; Wang, Iannotti, & Nansel, 2009). About 27.8 % of youth reported bullying victimization (School Crime Supplement; Robers, Kemp, & Truman, 2013), however rates of specific forms of victimization are higher (e.g., 41.0 % reported relational bullying victimization and 36.5 % reported verbal bullying victimization; Wang et al. 2009). Further, bullying is an international problem and in a sample of 202,056 youth from 40 countries, 26.9 % reported involvement in the bullying dynamic (Craig et al., 2009)” (Evans 365-375). Bullying is a widespread issue, causing harm to the social dynamic of today’s youth and impacting the way victims maintain
Many instances of bullying behavior can be linked back to the climate in which a child was raised. Those who are raised in poverty or who have no good role models will frequently suffer due to the lack of examples of adults in productive roles. If the “coolest” guy in the neighborhood is a gang member, then his or her bullying behavior will be emulated by the children in the neighborhood, continuing the cycle of abuse. This pattern usually leads to other negative traits such as becoming easily provoked and developing an inability to solve problems effectively. When these traits are continued in the school system, they are compounded by peer-pressure and the lack of faculty support. The bullies soon learn that they are free to abuse whomever they wish, and although faculty and staff help when they can, there are simply not enough resources necessary to catch and prevent bullies from targeting their peers (Bennett-Johnson, June 2004 p199).
“New bullying statistics for 2010 revealed about one in seven students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade is either a bully or has been a victim of bullying” (“Bullying Statistics 2010”). How does a person detect whether someone is being bullied? “A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself” (Olweus). Bullying takes place more in middle school because they are trying to fulfill a strong need for power, fit-in with their peers, and satisfy their pain. “Fear of being excluded by peers leads to by-standing, if the teen is aware of a bullying situation and decides to stay away or not get involved” (Vassar 26). Bully victims are targeted due to their sexuality, gender, religion, disabilities, and interests. 71 percent of the victims report bullying as an on-going problem. The effects of bullying can be best understood through the types of bullying, consequences of bullying, and legal policies prohibiting all forms of bullying.
In classic strain theory it is said that, Classic strain theory focuses on that type of strain involving the inability to achieve success or gain a middle class status. General Strain theory focuses on a broad range of strains, including the inability to achieve a variety of goals, the loss of valued possessions, and negative treatment by others. General Strain Theory has been applied to a range of topics, including the explanation of gender, race/ethnicity, age, community, and societal differences in crime
Bullying contributes to the nationwide dilemma of juvenile delinquency. Researching effects of all types of bullying can broaden our understanding of victimization from unimportant to grave in scope. While much victimization is during high school stages, it carries along into adulthood. There are correlations between bullying, juvenile delinquency, and criminal activity. Stopping bullying can lower the rates of juvenile delinquency and future criminal activity. This is why it is vital to understand the victimization process and effects.
... Cullen, F. T., Unnever, J. D., Hartman, J. L., Turner, M. G., & Agnew, R. (2008). Gender, Bullying Victimization, and Juvenile Delinquency: A Test of General Strain Theory. Victims & Offenders, 3(4), 331-349. doi:10.1080/15564880802338468.
Bullying has been a part of schooling for as long as children have been congregating. To some it seems like a natural, though uncomfortable, part of life and school experience, while to others it can mean terrifying experiences which spoiled and characterized otherwise happy years in school. Dan Olweus, a pioneer in bully behavior research documented that 2.7 million children are affected as victims, and that 2.1 children act as bullies (Fried, 1997, as cited in Aluedse, 2006). With bullying cited as the reason for violent, gun-related crime in the past few years, school districts as well as national governments have put anti-bullying policies in place. Bullying is a complicated phenomenon, involving more than one child demanding lunch money from a smaller child. It is a worldwide epidemic hitting schools everywhere. Virtually everyone has seen or experienced bullying. With technological advances, bullying is even hitting the internet. Parents, teachers, students and governments agencies alike are attempting to put a stop to bullying practices.
Bullying is a growing concern in a society where status and exercising power over another human being are increasingly important in developing one’s social circles. Dan Olweus (Norwegian researcher and founder of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program) defines it as an “aggressive behaviour that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power. Most often, it is repeated over time” (Violencepreventionworks.org). School victimization is an especially delicate matter that has only really been in the public eye for the past half century, as more and more researchers and psychologists pointed out its short- and long-term negative effects on targeted individuals. It has since been widely investigated and numerous programs have been developed in an effort to address and prevent the many forms of bullying that exist today. The negative effects of such an abusive behaviour are various and can greatly differ from individual to individual. However, there are three main consequences that can be associated with school bullying, which are: school avoidance, depression/anxiety and even suicidal attempts.
Everyone has been bullied or encountered someone being bullied at some point of their life. Whether it would be physically or verbally both can be exceedingly traumatizing and can have a long-term psychological influence on children’s development. Majority people may define bullying in a more physical term; nevertheless that’s not always the case. The act of bullying can occur in several ways and in reality affect the individual in the same way. Bullying is generally defined as repeated, negative, and harmful actions focused at target throughout a course of time, exhibiting a sense of power difference between the bully and the victim (Olweus, 1993; Limber & Mihalic, 1999 as cited from Douglas J. Boyle, 2005). A survey was conducted in the United States estimating that over six million children, about 30% in grade six through ten have experienced frequent bullying in a school environment (Nansel, 2001 as cited from Douglas J. Boyle, 2005). Many people might debate that bullying is something that every child goes through and is simply a part of growing up, although there are several damaging consequences that happens to the child’s brain. Bullying causes the child to feel upset, isolated, frightened, anxious, and depressed. They feel like they reason they are being picked on is because there is something wrong with them and may even lose their confidence feel unsafe going to school (Frenette, 2013 as cited from Douglas J. Boyle, 2005) Anthropologically, sociologically, or psychologically, bullying can be analyzed through different perspectives and several questions can be asked based on the topic:
Many factors in a child’s life may lead him or her to have such emotional distress that they begin bullying other students at school. Social factors are usually the easiest aspect to identify that would cause a child to bully their classmates. The child may have been bullied them self, which leads to pent up aggression which leads to the release of this aggression on other students. It may also be simp...
Bullying among American elementary, middle and high school students is a growing problem. Bullying can be defined as the use of aggression, force, abuse, and intimidation to impose power or status over another person. More children are becoming victims of this often tragic problem today than ever before. In fact, one in seven students in grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying (MBNBD). It is estimated that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of an attack or intimidation by other students (MBNBD). Bullying can be the result of prejudice based on race, class, gender, sexuality, religion, and appearance. Bullying is a problem because it affects a person’s self esteem and emotional health. Bullying can cause children or teens to feel tense, afraid, and can also affect an adolescent’s confidence.
Cook, C., Guerra, N., Kim, T., Sadek, S., Williams, K. (2010). Predictors of bullying and
A category of strategies to prevent bullying in schools is identifying the causes of bullying. One factor that may cause bullying is the students’s family life. The lack of love or approval and involvement from the parents or overly permissive parenting where there is a lack of supervision or no rules may initiate bullying as the child may feel insecure. Another factor that may cause bullying is peer pressure. Friends who are aggressive and hav...