Patrica Castillo
BSHS325
9/29/14
Carrie Natale
Bullying Report
Counselors need to understand the severe impact bullying has on its victims. By understanding what bullying is, it will help to remove fear, improve self-esteem, improve grades, and in worse case scenarios, save lives of our young adolescences. I am going to take a look at the components, and types of bullying. How does bullying affect self-esteem? What are the gender and sexual orientation influences and the effect of family interactions?
Bullying is a situation where someone feels that they have the power over another, and they abuse that power. As a result, they feel helpless, they feel powerless, and they lose sight of their identity and somebody’s …show more content…
Verbal bullying consists of name-calling, insulting, making racist, sexist or homophobic jokes, remarks or teasing, and using sexually suggestive or abusive language, offensive remarks. Verbal bullying is the most common form of bullying. Social bullying involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships some examples are: telling others not to be someone friends, spreading rumors, embarrassing them, or leaving them out of things on purpose. Physical bullying includes but not limited to hitting, kicking, pinching, punching, scratching, spitting or any other form of physical attack. Damage to or taking someone else’s belongings may also constitute as physical bullying. Cyberbullying includes any type of bullying that is carried out by electronic medium such as text messages, picture/video clip via mobile phone cameras, phone call via mobile phones, e-mail, chat-rooms, instant messaging (IM), and via websites. School bullying statistics in the United States show that about one in four kids in the U.S. is bullied on a regular basis. Between cyber bullying and bullying at school, the school bullying statistics illustrate a huge problem with bullying and the American school system. (www.bullyingstatistics.org, …show more content…
Some common signs and symptoms experienced by families who are affected by bullying are secrecy, irritability, withdrawal, lying, lack of trust, self-doubt, anxiety, and over protectiveness. Children often become secretive at home. Secrecy can be difficult for parents to experience because they may imagine a range of horrible causes for changes in their child. Being regularly criticized and ridiculed by bullies lead to the child to overreacting to innocent comments made by family members at home. Some children might isolate themselves, slowly losing the quality of family relationships. Children sometimes feel ashamed worrying that it’s their fault. A child might start to lie why they ditched school. The child may feel painfully alienated. Lack of trust can create a serious rift in the family that can linger even after the bullying has been resolved. Failure to empathize with the child’s emotional anguish can make them doubt their perception of reality. When someone is bullied, their pervasive feelings of tension can lead to social anxiety. Some parents will fear for their child’s safety so excessively that their parenting style becomes oppressive and limiting.
It is important for families to engage positive preventive strategies. Open communication amongst all family members is one of the best strategies in preventing the effects of bullying. Children should feel free to discuss their struggles