Bullying Interview

In my interview the subject I chose was my cousin, whose name shall remain anonymous. The subject, a 12 year old girl, currently attends a public junior high school and is in the seventh grade. It should also be noted that this is the subjects first year in junior high school. She does not suffer from personal issues that may produce bias and retains good grades. She also does not regard herself as part of “the popular crowd.”
The interview with the subject lasted approximately 30 minutes, and all five questions were answered. For the first question, the subject reported that they had 10 friends in their group, and have known most since a young age. She does have friends who she does not like, but still the group gets along. Everyone is included …show more content…
For the most part, her responses were thorough, but she did not seem to indicate that bullying was that big of an issue. When bullying did happen though, she said that it was quickly resolved which gave me the impression that her school seemingly handles bullying appropriately. Perhaps since this is their first year in a new environment with new people, they haven’t settled into their personalities quite yet. In my middle school experience, I can remember this being the case. To answer question five, in sixth grade I can recall the general friendly atmosphere of meeting new faces and making new friends, many of which I still have today. But as the next year progressed, I had seen a change in people 's personalities as cliques had formed and people 's attitudes began to turn. The emergence of a “popular crowd” formed around those who were wealthy and athletic, demonstrating their superiority over those who were not. This begins to affect their identity as they begin to believe that they 're superior to others. I can remember that anti-bullying committees were set up to combat the actions of these fortunate few with little success. Eventually by the end of middle school, there was little that one could do to join a new friend circle. Unfortunately today this has carried over to my high school where it is known to be one of the most “clique-focused” schools in our area. While it may not always be physical bullying, verbal and cyber bullying can have a massive effect on an adolescent 's identity as they grow up. Some may internalize the harassment that they receive and begin believing what they say, leading to a decrease in self-worth. This can carry into adult life, severely detriment them socially and mentally. Because of the effects that can procure from bullying or being bullied can have on one’s self, it should be