Bullying Flashcards
(36 cards)
definition and characteristics of bullying
a. Intent to harm
b. Duration and intensity
c. consequences
D. Imbalance of strength
intent to harm
the perpetrator finds pleasure in the taunting and continues even when the victim’s distress is obvious
duration and intensity
the teasing continues over a long period of time and frequently
consequences
the damage to self-esteem is long lasting, and the impact on the victim leads to behaviour marked by either withdrawal or aggression
imbalance of strength
the abuser is more powerful because of age, size and gender etc. The victim mis vulnerable and cannot defend himself or herself. He or she lacks support and feels isolated and exposed. Often, the victim is afraid to report the abuse for fear of retaliation
Different roles in bullying
a. bullies: people who bully others
b. Victims: people who are bullied
c. Spectators/Bystanders: people who witness bullying
Types of bullying:
Physical bullying
Verbal bullying
Social bullying
Sexual bullying
Cyber-bullying
What makes cyber bullying more dangerous than traditional bullying?
- in traditional bullying cases, victims can identify the bullies and avoid them by, for e.g. go back home.
- However, in cyber bullying cases, bullies track down victims through internet, making victims inescapable.
Suggestions (hard measures) to combat against cyber bullying
- Requiring internet users to register with real names when they post comments online
- Broaden current legislations on criminal intimidation/doxxing to include more acts of cyber bullying
Suggest two reasons why hard measures are not good.
- The law may go against people’s right to freedom of speech
- Cyber-bullying can be difficult to define, there may not be objective way to judge→somehow difficult to enforce the law
What are other ways to deal with cyber-bullying?
- Develop a code of practice, as guidelines, for internet service providers to make it easier for them to remove offensive materials (but not pre-censor the posts)
- Educate internet users
What are some ways for victims to deal with cyber-bullying?
- Ignore comments to “escape” from bullying
- Gather evidences for potential lawsuits (civil/criminal proceedings)
factors of bullying - individual
- lack of social skills
- low self esteem
factors of bullying - individual
lack of social skills
- Unable to make sense of what they are doing and what others may feel (lack of empathy)
- Limited range of non-aggressive answers to interpersonal problems
–> They resort to violent and aggressive means to interact with others (lack of interpersonal skills / problem solving skills)
factors of bullying - individual
low self esteem
- Have to generate a sense of satisfaction or self-worth by engaging in bullying behaviors
- gain popularity by anti-social behaviors such as victimizing others
factors of bullying - Interpersonal & socio-culturally
- social learning
- lack of social control
factors of bullying - Interpersonal & socio-culturally
social learning
- parental influence
- peer pressure
- culture at school
- mass media
factors of bullying - Interpersonal & socio-culturally
social learning: parental influence
- Authoritarian parenting style and abusive experience give rise to violent behavior
- Authoritarian parents can be demanding, controlling, and unresponsive, lack of expression of love
- Children learn from their parents how to behave and interact with others. So if they’re learning about aggression and angry words at home, they will tend to use these behaviors as coping mechanisms
factors of bullying - Interpersonal & socio-culturally
social learning: peer pressure
- Bullying behaviour helps form cliques and build up group identity
- Feel the need to be accepted as “in-group” perform the group rituals to be accepted
- Afraid of being victimized, don’t want to be considered as the “out-group”
- Pressured to conform to group norms and bully the victim
factors of bullying - Interpersonal & socio-culturally
social learning: culture at school
- As both children and teenagers spend most of the time at schools, school culture and classroom climate have an impact on students’ behaviour
- When students feel that they are “supported and respected by teachers”, and having “positive relationships with others in the class, they would act in a more “task-oriented and orderly” manner.
- On the contrary, if students’ perceive the school / classroom climate negatively, they are more likely to be involved in bullying behaviour
factors of bullying - Interpersonal & socio-culturally
social learning: mass media
- Experience of virtual violence -> learn to use violence to resolve conflicts or gain excitement
- Violence is always shown as an acceptable means of conflict resolution in the media
- In some online games, they try to dehumanize people. Players may not feel that the acts involved are inhumane and unethical.
- Children could be unconsciously modeling the undesirable behavior
factors of bullying - Interpersonal & socio-culturally
lack of social control
- anonymity
- Diffusion of responsibility in groups
factors of bullying - Interpersonal & socio-culturally
lack of social control: anonymity
Deviant behavior like bullying is likely to occur when there is no or less legal norms
E.g, cyber bullying goes beyond the physical setting of school. Teachers cannot detect the problem easily. The bully can do things anonymously and thinks that he / she cannot be traced. Therefore, they do not have consequences for their misbehavior
factors of bullying - Interpersonal & socio-culturally
lack of social control: Diffusion of responsibility in groups
- Bullies bully victims as a group → unclear about who should be responsible for the harm they do to the victim (diffusion of responsibility)
- Members of the group think that they won’t have consequences → social control weakened
