Bullying in Schools Analysis Essay Sample (Research Paper Sample)

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Bullying in Schools
In the contemporary world, one can never heal themselves by wounding others. This is a testament to the famous quote that denounces one’s candle shining brighter through dimming the candles of others. Bullying is a sad culture that has been a prevalent issue in schools throughout the globe. What exactly is bullying? Bullying is a series of intentional and negative actions directed at other individuals to cause physical or mental harm. The outstanding facet of bullying is that the abuse is usually directed at the people who can not defend themselves. One of the worst settings of bullying is in the global school systems. Bullies prey on vulnerable individuals based on age, sexual orientation, academic excellence, and physical appearance. Bullying has massively adverse effects on an individual, leading to self-harm of epic proportions, which has led many governments to step in and curb the trends. This paper gives an in-depth analysis of bullying and how it manifests itself in the school system. Bullying is a significant concern in our educational system, and there is a lack of emphasis on addressing it, which puts young children at risk of depression or suicide.
Bullying in schools mainly targets vulnerable groups of children. However, it is essential to understand what constitutes the term bullying in schools. Typically, the bullying party is the aggressor and tends to feed off their victims’ distress. The first and most common type is physical bullying. A bully may resort to slapping, hitting, tickling, and even unwanted touching towards a victim. This is the most damaging form, as it can lead to adverse physical harm or even death. There are other subtle forms like spitting, stealing, and stalking. Verbal abuse is the second most common type of school bullying, in which the bully uses insults and taunts against their victims, mainly to demoralize them. According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), Psychological abuse, or emotional abuse, is almost similar to verbal abuse, except it mainly involves non-verbal cues (31). Bullies can assert their abuse through forms like alienation, spreading false rumors, false accusations, and even the silent treatment of their peers. Finally, cyberbullying has been a significant concern in schools and all contemporary spectrums in the modern technological age. People thrive on anonymity behind their keyboards to launch attacks on others, violating their free speech rights. Bullying comes in many forms, most of which are derivatives of the firms named above. Its effects can be detrimental for children and teenagers. Most adult mental disorders have been linked to instances of bullying in school. This raises the question, when did this rain start beating society?
Bullying may be one of the societal issues without a clear origin point. By its very nature, bullying involves asserting dominance or power over a weaker opponent through a repetitive process. Humankind has evolved into a sophisticated race with law, order, and ethical excellence. However, this can not be said about the previous generations. There is a massive possibility that bullying has been a subtle and integral part of human nature and that civilization has slowly brought it to light. The very competitive nature of human beings and the urge to have the best resources for survival may be the main reasons behind bullying. Studies have shown that the majority of bullying between teenagers is centered around sexuality and sexual dominance. A physically dominant boy may bully a more vulnerable boy into asserting dominance over a prospective female companion in many high school settings. The same can be true for females, too, as a girl may emotionally scar another girl over her appearance and sexual potential. One of the countries that have been plagued by school bullying the hardest is South Africa. So bad has the trend been in South Africa that it has recently been rendered a matter of national importance? Studies have shown that at least 60% of adults who went through the school system have been victims or proponents of bullying, and at least 50% are experiencing bullying today (Juan et al. 3). Therefore, school bullying may come down to discipline, as public schools are at the worse end of the spectrum globally. It is, therefore, more of a matter of hierarchy throughout time, as opposed to history.
Bullying in schools has some serious adverse effects on society. For starters, bullying is one of the significant contributors to school dropouts in the world. Studies show that more than 20% of students who witness bullying without being directly involved are more likely to miss school due to fear. It is astounding to note that school dropouts do more than 80% of crimes committed in America. Without formal education in today’s society, it spells doom for future generations. In the united states alone, more than a million students drop out of school every year, while in Australia, more than 700,000 drop out. Bullying also causes chronic depression and leads to a decline in academic grades. Studies indicate that globally, at least 20% of kids and students undergo bullying at school. Bullying shatters self-confidence and leads to a lack of concentration, which inevitably dooms the student’s ability to succeed (Baly et al. 28). Bullying also causes a massive social disconnect for the students. A child learns to hate school and hardly ever gets the right attitude of trust, relationships, and good social cues. Bullying is also a strong proponent of violence. Over some time, victims learn to trust no one, and rage manifests in them. Bullying, therefore, has more robust and more potent manifestations than meets the eye.
How does rage buildup in bullying victims cause violence? Studies show that many victims of bullying are 50% more likely to bring weapons to school to defend themselves in the USA. School shootings have been a significant matter of national concern to America for decades. A puzzling revelation shows that more than 75% of school shootings are a result of bullying victims. Finally, the most significant consequence of bullying is suicide. Depression drives many victims to the brink, and self-harm is the only option out. Many reformed suicide survivors have cited the feeling of not being accepted by their peers, and constant bullying, as a significant factor. Research shows that bullying victims are more than nine times likely to commit suicide than other people. Research conducted through the brain scans of victims shows that bullying has the same effects on the victim’s brain with the loss of a loved one (NASEM 123). Bullying makes an individual look insignificant, and the longer it occurs, the more dangerous it is. In America alone, more than 40% of bullying victims have either attempted or considered suicide. Bullying in schools is, therefore, an issue that needs fervent attention from all global dimensions.
The enormity of school bullying has not been without its fair share of interventions before. Eradicating such a culture should not be an initiative for teachers only and should involve parents, government, and even students. Bullying has been identified to have profound psychological implications; therefore, there is cause for a solid call to address mental health (NASEM 122). Accordingly, some of the prospective and most successful moves need a total shift and transformation to have any chance against school bullying.
Federal action is the most promising and best course of action against school bullying. Over the years, many federal governments like America, Australia, and the united kingdom have laid down some bold frameworks and laws against school bullying. The results have been polarizing but very efficient. For instance, in 2012, the Canadian government passed legislation, mobilization, and action against school bullying. The strategy was a huge success and called for the inclusion of the fight in the international day of nonviolence. The UK has an anti-discrimination law that lays several frameworks of how to report bullying. These work in unique tandem with bodies like Bullying UK and The Anti-Bullying Alliance. Bullying has been found to have a deep connection with youth delinquency. Studies in the UK find that most bullies come from disadvantaged societies, or groups with a lesser economic advantage, while most victims come from the higher echelons of the spectrum (Sykes). Therefore, as much as disciplinary frameworks may be established, mental aspects are essential. All schools and institutions should be subjected to a mandatory adherence mechanism that will force compliance across the board. There might be a significant change recorded in the overall fight against bullying in schools through such measures.
The mental health of students and teenagers should also be addressed. The first step is to build and foster a positive climate in all schools. Governments and leaders should make schools more of a family setting rather than seeing schools as avenues for competition. It should be a haven of family wholesomeness and inclusivity. Some education systems have to be changed from competitive and ranking-based to development-based. Mental health specialists must be availed to students to counsel them and guide them (Blakemore 114). This will instill emotional intelligence in school settings and make kids more sensitive to the plight of others. This will foster a cu