4 Types of Bullying

We all know a story about bullying or school harassment. The boy who would get his head put in the toilet. The girl who was criticized for the way she dressed. Or the typical kid who spent recess alone, locked in the bathroom or in the most hidden corner of the yard.

As we grow, the desire to be accepted by our peers is not always successful and there are many who suffer from physical and, especially, psychological abuse. The irony is that those who are the aggressors in cases of bullying, also often have difficulty feeling accepted. They seek recognition from others through intimidation or  exclusion of others.

Bullying occurs more among adolescents aged 12 to 14 years, an extremely sensitive age since they are going through many physical and psychological changes. Girls are the ones who suffer most from bullying.

As the phenomenon has attracted more attention from parents, teachers and the media, especially extreme cases that have even led to suicide or serious physical assaults, there have been different types of bullying identified.

1. Social exclusion

It is the most common type. It consists of isolating the victim. The child who is not allowed to play with anyone else, who no one speaks to and who is made to cry often. It is the most difficult to combat, as it is often silent and unnoticed by teachers who are the authority figures.

2. Intimidation

This has to do with instilling fear. It can include threats, physical harassment or harassment after school is dismissed when there is no adult supervision nearby. It is compounded by the fact that the victim under a threat does not dare tell their parents or teachers.

3. Social manipulation

It is based on criticizing the victim and distorting their image. Everything they do or say is derided. Unconsciously, many children also join in ridiculing the person affected because they believe that the person deserves what they get. Thus, it extends by the school group and the victim acquires the label “reject”, which isolates them even more.

4. Coercion

The goal is t0 get the victim to perform actions against their will. Stalkers seek to gain control and, through it, obtain benefits such as stealing an exam for example. However, the biggest advantage is the feeling of being able to have control over the other person, reinforcing their image of being leaders to others.

With any of these signs, both the victim and the aggressor should receive attention and find a means of negotiation to end the harassment.

The good news is that more and more information is available to parents and teachers, so that what was previously considered “child’s play” is now classified as a type of aggression. A serious one that should not be ignored, given that it can have consequences not only in the present, but in the long term.

Image courtesy of: Woodleywonderworks