The Causes And Effects Of Bullying In Schools

Causes and Effects of Bullying in Schools “Bullying is a conscious, willful desire to hurt another and put him or her under stress” (Rao and Simkiss, 2008). In today’s world bullying is an ever growing occurrence. Moon, Hwang and McCluskey’s (2008) research states that there has been a multitude of studies in the U.S. and other countries like Austria, Canada, China, England and much more that show bullying is happening globally every day. It comes most commonly in forms of verbal and physical abuse. Although it is not an excuse, there are theories supporting why kids bully such as the General Strain Theory and the Differential Association Theory. As an effect, both the kids being bullied and bystanders can develop issues in school and their

But what makes one kid a target and another not? Huggins (2016) seems to have an explanation. He compiled a list of what can put a target on a kid’s back. Being different is the number one reason. Being different can be anything from what someone weighs to what outfit they chose to wear that day or the hairstyle they were sporting. Another cause of being bullied can be that one doesn’t have many friends. Without an abundance of friends, one may assume there is something wrong with that person and therefore make them an easy target. If someone really does have something wrong with them, like a mental or physical disability, that can raise the likelihood of being teased even higher especially if they look weak (Huggins, 2016). On the flip side, if a kid has all the same advantages and disadvantages of the bully, they probably won’t get picked on. The phrase “Pick on someone your own size” comes to mind. Bullies like to target someone they perceive as beneath them or smaller them themselves, because it is easier, and for them, more satisfying. As a result of all the reasons listed, kids can develop issues in their own life. Often times a targeted child can develop concentration problems and have a hard time learning in school (Jan and Husain, 2015). This makes sense because they likely will be spending all day worrying about what will happen next instead of focusing on their school work. While a decline in concentration is one of the most common effects of being bullied, more serious issues can develop. Someone who is bullied may become more likely to skip school causing their academic achievements to suffer immensely. It can also lead to depression and more seriously suicidal thoughts or actions (Rao and Simkiss, 2008). It can be easy to focus only on the bullies and the kids being bullied, but more people are affected by it than