Running head: ANTI-BULLYING 1

Anti-Bullying

Lennie Jackson

Springfield College
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Abstract

Bullying is a subject that has been around for decades. Many individuals have experienced being

bullied, some have even died from the effects of bullying. People of varying types are chosen to

be bullied. What steps can be taken to address bullying, and protect those who are being bullied?

Whether the person is perceived to be threatening or non-threatening, the mindset of the bully is

what we will focus on. We will also research ways to stop or prevent bullying altogether.

Keywords: bullying, psychology, assertiveness

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Anti-Bullying

The purpose of conducting the research for this paper is to address bullying, and how

anti-bullying efforts can help to prevent or stop bullying altogether. The social significance is to

prevent these individuals (bullies) from ultimately becoming criminals in the future. The social

significance for anti-bullying is promoting peace and equality. The greatest social impact of anti-

bullying is in bringing national awareness of bullying, and introduce ways to change this

situation. Bullying can take a direct or an indirect approach. Bullying can happen at home, at

school, in the workplace and out in public. Lessons that are learned regarding anti-bullying is

that no one should keep quiet about bullying, and should have courage to stand up for

themselves. Assertiveness is the fuel behind anti-bullying, which was created to address the issue

of bullying in all its phases. The topic of bullying has gained more media attention in recent

years. Bullying happens to many individuals and this phenomenon can vary in degree depending

upon the victim’s age, size, and the circumstance. Many bullies publicly humiliate their victims,

and oftentimes it is done when no one else is around. Anti-bullying efforts are helping to change

lives, of both the victim and the bully.

Bullying occurs all the time, and if you have ever been bullied, then you know how it

feels. “Bullying is an anti-social and aggressive act, it is important not to ignore the group

context and social methods of bullying” (Jon Sutton, 2001). Being bullied leaves the victim

feeling powerless, and sometimes helpless to the vicious attacks from bullies. Bullies come in all

sizes, shapes, colors, and forms. Some bullies are adults, and they try to bully other adults. It also

seems like those who are bullied are on their own. “Most bystanders do have strong anti-bullying

attitudes and have sincere intentions to help or support the victim instead of joining or rewarding

the bullying. So they do think that bullying is wrong and it is the right thing to stand up for the
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victim. Nevertheless, almost none of the students do actually express their disapproval to their

peers” (Amse, 2017). When this situation stems into the workplace it can be considered a form

of harassment. Harassment accusations, disciplinary actions, or criminal charges are among some

of the measures that are taken to stop or prevent this from happening in the workplace. How do

we stop bullying from happening in the first place? The answer is, we cannot stop bullying

altogether, but it may be possible to reform bullies. Anti-bullying seeks to reform bullies and

prevent potential bullies from emerging. We can only do our best to prevent it from happening by

discouraging bullies from committing acts of violence toward other individuals. Bullies, and

potential bullies must always know that there are consequences for their bullying. The

consequences should be enough motivation to keep bullying from happening in the first place.

A bully is a person who assumes a position of power, and exerts that power over another

individual. A bully perceives their victim as less than who they are, and they carefully select a

person who they perceive to be weak and easy to overpower. “Views about bullies are likely to

form a basis for choosing and planning anti-bullying strategies, and therefore guide which

behaviors and which individuals are the focus of attention for teachers and students. If they are

not valid, or if there are equally valid alternative views of bullies, limited progress will be made”

(Jon Sutton, 2001). The personality of a bully is developed when that individual looks down

upon their own self, put themselves down, and are unable to see any worth within themselves.

Unfortunately, a person who bullies cannot see their error, and consequently, they project this

negativity onto another person. Sometimes a bully is created at the hands of their own parents.

This means if a person’s parents repeatedly tell them that they are no good, the child believes

what the parent says. The child’s life can only reflect what their parent has said about them.

When this child is exposed to other children, who are smaller and less threatening, this child
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projects their anger upon the smaller, less threatening child. A bully hides behind their

personality, and uses another person to be the scapegoat.

Childhood bullies who are not stopped from bullying, will likely grow up to bully other

individuals who they perceive as weaker people. These very individuals have a greater chance at

becoming criminals, continuing to victimize those who they perceive as weak. This seems like a

cycle that must be addressed, therefore anti-bullying is making a strong effort to stop this

phenomenon. “Bullying is a group process that involves and is enabled by many players, in

addition to the individual bullies and victims” (J. David Smith, 2017). Anti-Bullying effects can

definitely go a very long way with effort from everyone who is involved. The three

recommendations for making the anti-bullying movement more effective will be to properly

identify the individuals who are likely to bully and be bullied. When we can identify these

people, we can pinpoint them out and see how they can be helped. We can also be able to

properly identify socially motivated circumstances, such as in the workplace and be prepared to

address any findings in the most effective manner.

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References

Amse, J. (2017, November 29). Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Anti-Bullying Intervention

Program Survivors. Retrieved from Master Thesis Communication Studies: Evaluation of

the effectiveness of the

J. David Smith, B. H. (2017, November 28). The Effectiveness of Whole School Anti-Bullying

Programs: A Synthesis of Evaluation Research. Retrieved from Semantics Scholar :

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1c3e/64f8a73333046bab6c0af381dec54129b86d.pdf

Jon Sutton, P. K. (2001, December). Bullying and ‘Theory of Mind’: A Critique ofthe ‘Social

Skills Deficit’ View of Anti-Social Behaviour. Retrieved from Research Gate:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229529341_Bullying_and_'Theory_of_Mind'_

A_Critique_of_the_'Social_Skills_Deficit'_View_of_Anti-Social_Behaviour