Bullying in schools is a manifestation of violence through abuse and harassment of some students. A non-serious attitude towards this issue, considering it only as part of growing up and not a threat, leads to significant harm to children and, in the most severe cases, – their deaths (Center for Violence Prevention, 2020). For some children, the experience of bullying becomes so harrowing that they cannot cope with it and the accompanying feelings. The problem is socio-psychological in nature, and it is essential to fight and prevent it. It is necessary to explore the causes of bullying and the behavior of victims and aggressors to create a basis for interventions in the problem. Despite the strong roots of bullying found in the psychological features of adolescents’ behavior and some social beliefs embedded in the school context, teachers and parents can help solve the problem by applying intervention methods.
Considering school bullying from a psychological point of view is critical since this perspective reveals some of the causes and consequences of the problem. The violence usually manifests in late childhood and peaks in adolescence (Center for Violence Prevention, 2020). The reason is that adolescence involves many changes – children grow up, and their bodies and even their thinking change under the influence of hormones. Such changes bring students many new challenges and significant stress (Guerra-Bustamante et al., 2019). The need for self-assertion, personal self-confidence, and emotional intelligence are critical psychological factors determining the victims and aggressors of bullying. Consequently, understanding child and adolescent psychology and working with students can reveal the causes and implications of abuse and harassment.
As a psychological problem, bullying also requires an integrated approach to cope with consequences and prevent similar situations. Several sides are involved in the bullying situation, and each requires psychological assistance (Jenkins et al., 2019). Victims need support to cope with oppression and fight if the threat repeats. Aggressors also require help, as personal problems often push them to abuse. Other stakeholders include politicians, school administrators, and parents since they care about the student’s well-being and can provide the necessary psychological support options.
It is worth noting that psychological factors are not the only perspective for studying bullying causes and consequences. Biases and beliefs entrenched in society also significantly affect adolescents, whose feelings are aggravated at this age. In particular, gender and related ideas directly impact the bullying problem. An example of disruptive thinking is the pursuit of hegemonic masculinity, which strictly divides gender roles and represents masculinity as superior to femininity (Rosen & Nofziger, 2019). Moreover, such ideals offer specific requirements for boys, dividing them if their behavior and traits are not masculine enough (Rosen & Nofziger, 2019). As a result, unfair and destructive ideals lead to uncertainty and other problems that provoke bullying.
Adolescence is also a critical formative period when students seek to understand themselves. The question of self-understanding includes such essential aspects as attractiveness, interest in romance, and sexual orientation. Social biases related to these issues and affecting the school climate carry the threat of manifestations of homophobic bullying (Ioverno & Russell, 2021). Given the severity of the bullying consequences and its various causes, it is crucial to take action to combat the problem.
The introduction of practical and creative strategies is necessary to overcome the problem of bullying. In school circumstances, teachers have the most significant influence on the issue, as they can contribute to conflict resolution and implement learning strategies that prevent bullying (Dwiningrum & Wahab, 2020). Educators can take action at several levels: creating a positive atmosphere at the school level, building a conducive learning environment in classrooms, and developing students’ social relationships at the individual level (Dwiningrum & Wahab, 2020). An integrated approach that will consider all factors affecting students will be most effective in solving the problem of bullying.
Implementing strategies to prevent bullying requires preliminary study. Some methods, such as applying punishments or the imposition of responsibility for conflict resolution on children, can only worsen the situation (Divecha, 2019). Moreover, it is worth considering the individual differences of the adolescents involved since the response to the intervention may differ. However, studies demonstrate that the coordinated work of teachers at school and caregivers at home is most effective (Waasdorp et al., 2011). Teachers are responsible for ensuring safety in school settings and communicating information. Parents must respond appropriately to incidents if their children are involved and provide them with the support they need.
Thus, bullying at school has a psychological basis, and all participants need psychological assistance, regardless of whether they are aggressors or victims. Adolescence brings many changes, and students need help solving problems. In addition, social expectations and prejudice are among the most influential factors in the bullying process. Hegemonic masculinity, homophobia, and victim behavior often become the basis of this phenomenon. To solve the bullying problem, teachers and parents must work together for a common goal. Providing a positive and supportive atmosphere at school and home is essential.
References
Center for Violence Prevention. (2020). Bullying in schools. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Web.
Divecha, D. (2019). What are the best ways to prevent bullying in schools? The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley. Web.
Dwiningrum, S. I. A., & Wahab, N. A. (2020). Creative teaching strategy to reduce bullying in schools. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 19(4), 343-355. Web.
Guerra-Bustamante, J., León-Del-Barco, B., Yuste-Tosina, R., López-Ramos, V. M., & Mendo-Lázaro, S. (2019). Emotional intelligence and psychological well-being in adolescents. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(10), 1-12. Web.
Ioverno, S., & Russell, S. T. (2021). Homophobic bullying in positive and negative school climates: The moderating role of gender sexuality alliances. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 50(2), 353–366. Web.
Jenkins, L.N., Demaray, M.K., Dorio, N.B., & Eldridge, M. (2019). The law and psychology of bullying. In B. Bornstein & M. Miller (Eds.), Advances in psychology and law (pp. 197–234). Springer, Cham. Web.
Rosen, N. L., & Nofziger, S. (2018). Boys, bullying, and gender roles: How hegemonic masculinity shapes bullying behavior. Gender Issues, 36(3), 295–318. Web.
Waasdorp, T. E., Bradshaw, C. P., & Duong, J. (2011). The link between parents’ perceptions of the school and their responses to school bullying: Variation by child characteristics and the forms of victimization. Journal of Educational Psychology, 103(2), 324–335. Web.