Bullying: Singling Out Others for Repeated Abuse.

According to Olweus (1993), bullying refers as a form of behavior in which aggression is

primarily “one-way”. It means that one person repeatedly assaults one or more other who have
little or no power to retaliate. In other word, in bullying relationship, one person does the
aggressing and the other person is receiving it.

Ireland & Archer (2002) stated that bullying has been occurs not only between children
and teenagers but also occurs in other context such as workplace and prison.

Why Do People Engage in Bullying?

Why does bullying occur? Why do some individual choose their targets, then
terrorize them over and over again? The answer is because of these two motives:
first, the motive to hold power over the other and the second, motive to be part of a
group that is “tough” and high in status.

The Characteristics of Bullies and Victims .

Are bullies always bullies and victims always victims? It may or may not be the fact
because many people who are bullies in one context become a victim in other situation and vice
versa. So there are various combinations to be considered:

 Pure bullies - people who are always and only bullies

 Pure victims - people who are always and only victims
 Bully-victims – people who switch back and forth between these roles.

The factors that makes some people becomes bullies in the first place is that, first, the
pure bullies tend to believe that others act the way they do intentionally or because of lasting
characteristics (Smorti & Ciucci,2000). Then, in contrast of pure bullies, the victims tend to
perceive others as acting as they do at least in part because they are responding to an external
event of conditions, including how others have treated them. Another difference is that bullies
(and also bully-victims) tend to be lower in self esteem than other people. So, they aggress
against others to build up their self image. In addition, the bullies tend to adopt a ruthless,
manipulation approach to life and to dealing with other people. Finally, bullies and bully-victims
believe that the best way to respond to bullying is with aggression. They believe that being
highly aggressive will bring them the high level of respect (Ireland & Archer, 2002).

Reducing the occurrence of bullying: Some Positive Steps.

According to O’Moore, 2000, bullying give negative effects to its victims. There are
several cases which the victims of the bullying committed suicide and it is also happen in the
prison where people in it are brutalized by their inmates. They (victims) see death as the only
way out for them. These facts lead to this question: What can be done to reduce or eliminate
bullying? From the research finding, there are several steps that can be used to stop these bad
phenomena which are: First, teachers, parents, students, prisoners, guards, fellow employees, and
supervisor must take seriously about this problem. Then, people who are in charge must draw an
attention and take an unequivocal stand against bullying if it is occur. Thirdly, the potential
victims must be provided with the way to deal with bullying when it is occur, and must told them
what to do and who to see. Lastly, the outside help is often useful in identifying the cause of
bullying and devising programs to reduce it for example program Rakan Muda and PLKN that
encourage the youngster especially the teenager to build spirit of team work.

Workplace aggression: Harming Others at Work.

Workplace aggression is any form of behavior through in individual seeks to harm others
in their workplace says Griffin & O’Leary, 2004: Neuman & Baron, 2004. This aggression
happen because it is guided by a basic principle known as the effect- danger ratio which means
people engage in aggression against others who they see every day, attempt to produce the
greatest amount of harm to the effect (the victims), at the same time minimizing the chances that
they will be receiving end of retaliation (the danger).

What specific forms of aggression do individual usually use in workplace? Research on

this question suggests that there are three types of expression of hostility, behavior that are
primarily verbal or symbolic in nature. There are Obstructionism (behaviors designed to obstruct
or impede the targets performance), Incivility (low-intensity deviant behavior with ambiguous
intent to harm the target, in violation of workplace norms for mutual respect) and Overt
aggression (behaviors that have typically been included under the heading “workplace violence”.
 What are the causes of workplace aggression? Unfairness is one of the causes of
workplace aggression. When individuals feel that they have been treated unfairly by others in
their organization or by the organization itself, they will experience intense feelings of anger and
resentment and often seek to “even the score” by harming the people they hold responsible in
some manner. In addition, aggression is also influenced by general societal norms concerning the
acceptability of such behavior. For instance, study by Dietz, Robinson, Folger, Baron, & Jones,
2003, found that the greater the incidence of violence in communities surrounding U.S. post
offices was, the higher the rates of aggression within these branch offices was as if acceptance of
violence in the surrounding communities paved the way for similar behavior inside this
organization. Other factors, changes that have occurred recently in many workplace: reductions
in staff so that everyone has to do more work; unexpected layoffs and increased use of part-time
employees, which generates feelings of insecurity among regular employees who begin to fear
for their own jobs.

Abusive Supervision: Bosses who make Workplaces Unbearable.

Have you ever had a boss who always shouted at you and other workers? Who always in
moody, who seemed to evaluate your work in totally unpredictable and with unfair manner? If
so, you have experienced a specific kind of workplace aggression known as abusive supervision
(Tepper, 2000). Why do abusive bosses do it? One social psychologist who has studied such
bosses believes that they engage in abusive behavior partly to vent their own frustrations but
mainly for their sheer pleasure of exercising their power and gains in self esteem this gives them
(Hornstein, 2004). This abusive supervision damages not only the employees on the receiving
end, but also the entire organization as well. In short, abusive supervision is all too common and
makes large numbers of people difficult going to work.
Islamic perspective of aggression and bullying

Anger
Do not get into fits of extreme anger (3:133) "to control oneself when enraged" has been
described by the Holy Quran as a virtue of the believers.

Forgiveness
If anybody acts wrongfully in ignorance but regrets afterwards, if you think that if
forgiven he shall mend himself, forgive him. Allah is most forgiving and merciful.
(6:54)

Do not bully people with your virtues

Do not ascribe purity to yourselves. (53:32) "Do not keep calling yourself virtuous. He
only knows best who it is who guards against evil."