Bullying

Although school-based violence is not increasing overall, concern about it is. High-profile examples of fatal violence in suburban and rural schools, such as the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colorado, may be fostering this concern. Researchers studying these cases suggest that the negative peer relations of certain students might be contributing to the violence: students who are bullied or marginalized by their peers may have a greater likelihood of engaging in retaliatory violence.

Bullying, threatening, and intimidation are common phenomena in schools in the United States and around the world. According to various definitions, bullying is mistreatment of a person ranging from social isolation, exclusion, and teasing to physical violence. Definitions may also encompass issues of intention or power relations. While there is not consensus on the definition of [Page 136][Page 137]bullying, distinctions are commonly made between acts of physical aggression and nonphysical behaviors such as teasing. Bullying has been typically construed as a normal rite of passage, or a passing phase that children go through; however, recent research has raised concerns about potential serious consequences of bullying, such as retaliatory violence or suicide.

Three children bullying a fourth at Castle Combe Village School in England.

© Reflections Photolibrary/Corbis; used by permission.

Boys are more likely to bully and be victims of bullying than girls. Boys usually use physical or active bullying, such as threatening, teasing, or physical contact, while girls typically engage in nonphysical or passive bullying, such as rumors, gossip, social isolation, and exclusion. The likelihood of being a victim or perpetrator of physical bullying peaks in the middle school or junior high school years, while verbal abuse remains relatively constant throughout the teen years. Overall, the percentage of victims decreases in higher grades, but the number of bullies remains stable across grade and age. This supports that idea that bullies selectively target their victims; often, older students are picking on younger, weaker, or smaller students who are unable to retaliate.

Victims of bullying typically have an increased fear of school, are more isolated than other students, suffer from depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, dissociation, and stress, and have a difficult time concentrating at school because they are worried about being bullied. Victims may avoid certain places in school or stay home from school to avoid bullies. Bystanders, on the other hand, usually feel powerless, because they are unable help others who are bullied without risking becoming victims themselves. In places where bullying is prevalent, students are constantly fearful that they may become the next victims.

Environmental conditions that increase the risk of bullying and school violence in general are overcrowding, a high student-teacher ratio, and poor building design that allows students to be isolated from adult supervision. Factors that do not seem to be predictive of bullying behavior are school size, location (urban, suburban, or rural), and racial composition. Educators can bear these relationships in mind when engaging in long-term planning for their schools. Short-term interventions need to focus on raising awareness of bullying among students, teachers, staff, and parents, and schools need to emphasize adult supervision, provide clear definitions and policies on bullying, and offer teachers and administrators training on specific skills and strategies for addressing bullying.

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