The Different Types Of Bullying

In recent years there has been an increase in bullying and this serious problem has been highlighted in our educational arena. There are many different types of bullying such as psychical bullying, verbal bullying, covert bullying and cyber bullying. All of these types of bullying have serious effects on ones mind. Bullying also affects the behaviors of the victim. Bullying has been the central topic of interest and has received a conglomerate of media coverage. It is a sensitive topic for me since in elementary school I was bullied. I received very little support from the school I attended. School seems to be an environment where bullying often takes place. How can I as a teacher help to prevent and stop bullying? Social skills can be taught …show more content…
It is proven that friends can escalate the process of bullying and play a crucial role in either endorsing or preventing bullying. Labeling children brings about negativity and it fails to emphasize the positive aspects of that person. (American Institute For Learning, 5) Bullying is an intentional negative behavior that is repeated and involves an imbalance of social or physical power. Bullying children during the early childhood years can lead to suffering and negative effects into adulthood including depression, anxiety, sadness and loneliness. Later on in life students that bully others are at a higher risk for a wide range of problems including abusing alcohol, drugs, fighting and doing poorly academically. Research also shows that students who witness bullying as bystanders also suffer increased use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs and increased mental health problems (Committee For Children, 2). This is why teaching social skills in the years of early childhood can prevent these serious outcomes. Many factors that influence bullying social theories depict and connect the reasons why bullying increases during the late childhood and early adolescence periods. The Homophily Theory states that people tend to form friendships and mingle with the people who are just like themselves. As teachers we need to understand that students feel comfortable in hanging out with others who bully. According to the Dominance Theory students use bullying as a tactic for moving higher in the social order (American Institute For Research, 6). This is evident from early childhood to middle school. It is during this time that social hierarchy is formed. During the Attraction Theory students enter middle school and their attraction to bullying further increases. Although many