Bullying During Adolescence

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Being a teenager in today’s world can be tough. Adolescence is about friendships and fitting in. Bullying is a problem and can affect that. Students should reach out to those that don’t have friends and help them. Kids that don’t fit in also need to make an effort to do so. If bullying is stopped, which it can be if we tried hard enough, teens would feel much better about themselves. Will you make an effort to stop bullying and help those that don’t fit in? Adolescence is, for the most part, about fitting in. Most everybody wants friends and wants to feel like they are a part of a social group. Young childhoods are spent meeting new people and making friends that share your common interests. However, in the teenage years, it gets a lot more complicated. Some people will start to leave their old friends for newer, “cooler” ones, and start to wear new clothing to make themselves popular. Everyone wants to fit in, and some people will make more of an effort to do so than others. In middle school specifically, cliques and social groups start forming. This is the time when teens and pre-teens figure out who they are and start to fit in with their friends. Bullying is a major issue in schools and is a factor in fitting in. Almost all students in high school either have been bullied or have bullied someone. Bullying can be split into two major parts: psychological and physical. While both are very harmful, many debates have been had as to which is worse. I am of the opinion that psychological is worse, because it can really push somebody over the edge. When people constantly harass you or call you names it starts to take a toll on your confidence and self-esteem, and as is said in the poem “To This Day”, it “Seems like every school has... ... middle of paper ... ...ether. Fitting in in adolescence is important and everybody should feel like they belong. Both psychological and physical bullying are a problem and need to be stopped. Students should make new kids and “outcasts” feel welcome, but those that don’t fit in need to make an effort themselves. High school can be difficult, but fitting in and having friends can make it a whole lot better. Works Cited Elizabeth, Jane. “Girl bullies don’t leave black eyes, just agony.” Pittsburgh Post- Gazette, Apr 10 2002. Web. 11 Dec 2013. Guenther, John. “Searching For My High School Bully: A Confrontation 25 Years After.” Time Life Magazine, Sept 30, 2011. Web. 11 Dec 2013. Koyczan, Shane. “To This Day...For the Bullied and Beautiful.” TEDTalks, Mar 2013. Web. 10 Dec 2013. Maag, Christopher. “When the Bullies Turned Faceless.” The New York times, Dec 18, 2007. Web. 10 Dec 2013.

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