The ABCs of Bullying
Addressing, Blocking, and Curbing School Aggression
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"I used to bully people. I used to bully people in almost every kind of way. I did it because that was what lots of my friends did. . . .
My friends and I were walking home from school one day, and I saw a kid. I thought I would be cool and get cocky with him.
The person I was cocky with ended up being 4 years older than me. The person walked up to me and tackled me into the ground. I felt like he had broke my spine. Then he punched me repeatedly.
After he had left, my friends helped me up. I was mad my friends didn't help me. They told me I deserved it. Him tackling me left an imprint in the ground.
The next day we walked by that spot and the imprint was still there. It stayed there for almost a week." -Letter from a Bully/Victim ref
Not Just Child's Play
The image of the class bully lording over weaker students goes back as far as the one-room schoolhouse. The class bully hasn't disappeared from our schools' classrooms, playgrounds, hallways, bathrooms, cafeterias, stairways, and school buses. In fact, children today have to put up with not only physical and verbal threats and intimidations, but also new forms of bullying. These new forms include spreading rumors through e-mails and cell phones, or using the Internet to cause distress.
Today's children aren't any more likely than their parents to place an encounter with a bully among their fondest memories of childhood. Those who argue otherwise might try explaining why so many adults can instantly recall not just the first, but also the last names of the individuals involved in childhood bullying incidents.
At one time, school bullying may have been viewed as a "rite of passage" that built "character." Today, however, it's no longer regarded as just something that happens during playground routines. Educators, health and mental health practitioners, parents, and community members are realizing that it is a serious problem that can lead to more severe long-term problems for individuals and communities. Some experts believe that bullying should be considered a special form of child abuse-sometimes called "peer abuse," the cruelty of children to each other.ref
Federal researchers have found that bullying is related to more serious forms of violence-both for the victims and for the bullies-including frequent fighting and the carrying of weapons. Bullying is also associated with a higher risk of substance abuse.ref
Not all aggressive behavior among children and youth should be considered "bullying." Bullying is generally defined as repeated physical, verbal, sexual, or psychological attacks or intimidation by one individual who is perceived as being physically or psychologically stronger than another. In a general sense, a student is being bullied or victimized when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other students.ref
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Last Updated: 5/19/04
SAMHSA is an Agency of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
