Bullying: Types of Parental Control that are Linked to the Child Being a Victim

Some children, unfortunately, occupy the role of victim repeatedly which might suggest that some children may have personality traits or other characteristics that make them more prone to victimization over others. Victims tend to be smaller in size; look younger than they really are and act less mature compared to their peers. They might also have an unusual physical feature such as a large beauty mark. They also have low self-esteem and low self- confidence. They tend to blame the fact that they are being bullied on themselves so this makes them a convenient target. On a highly confident child, the bullying might not make a mark and the bully will look silly (Warren, 2011).

There are three types of parental control that are linked to the child being a victim. First, when the mother of the victimized child treats the child younger than they are, when the mother controls the child’s free time. The child will have an unusually close relationship with the mother. Such a mother impairs the child’s development in physical play, exploration and risk-taking. A child that is smothered to this degree is left unable to properly take charge of himself. He is left weak and feels inadequate. Such a child is unable to effectively handle peer conflicts. A second type of parental control is a parent that tries to manipulate and invalidate a child’s thoughts and feelings. This seriously damages the child’s self-esteem. Such a parent is threatening to remove love if the child doesn’t conform. A third type is coercion, which includes bossiness, sarcasm and verbal attacks. All of these weaken the child’s feeling of being loved and respected (Turkel, 2007).

Research on the family factors of victims is controversial. Some researchers believe that t...

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Turkel, A. R. (2007). Sugar and spice and puppy dogs' tails: The psychodynamics of bullying. Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry, 35(2), 243-58. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/198142035?accountid=12387

Vlachou, M., Andreou, E., Botsoglou, K., & Didaskalou, E. (2011). Bully/Victim problems among preschool children: A review of current research evidence. Educational Psychology Review, 23(3), 329-358.

Warren, Barbara Jones, PhD, RN, C.N.S.-B.C., P.M.H. (2011). Two sides of the coin: The bully and the bullied. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing & Mental Health Services, 49(10), 22-9.

Wendy, L. G. H., Naheed, E. H., & Bonnie, J. L. (2012). Using your WITS: A 6-year follow-up of a peer victimization prevention program. School Psychology Review, 41(2), 193-214.