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Bullying

Submitted by: Kelly Endo | 10 comments VIEW COMMENTS

Photographer : Mark Walley

What is bullying?

Bullying is when you are verbally, physically, socially or psychologically hurt by your employer (or manager), another person or a group of people. There are three main types of bullying: general, workplace and cyber. Many people are bullied and don’t even realise it.

Bullying can be:

physical: punching, kicking, shoving, hitting etc
verbal: teasing and name calling
psychological: intimidation and threats
social: excluding, isolating, spreading rumours etc
sexual: touching and verbal harassment.

Cyber bullying

Cyber bullying is a new form of bullying. It involves using technologies such as computers, mobile phones or other devices to abuse and harass people.

Typical cyber bullying behaviour includes:

harassing by text messages, instant messages and email
falsely using someone’s username to spread rumours
posting crude and embarrassing pictures on blogs and websites

Workplace bullying

Workplace bullying behaviour includes:

intense criticism (usually of petty details)
fault seeking
humiliation
isolation and exclusion
overruling authority and ideas
deliberately holding back information needed for getting work done properly
giving tasks impossible to complete by deadline or meaningless tasks that have nothing to do with the job

Why do people do it?

Many bullies have self-image or self-confidence issues. Most of the time, bullies are people who:

are trying to gain power
are trying to look cool
are trying to fit in with a group
want to get their way with everything
want to feel important
feel unhappy
have low self esteem and confidence
are seeking attention
are copying what they have seen others do before, or what has been done to them.

Workplace bullies are slightly different. They are:

usually bosses or superiors
often insecure and lack social skills
lacking in empathy
controlling of others.

Who do they do it to?

Bullies tend to pick on people who make them look strong, such as those who’ll get upset easily. This may be someone who has trouble defending themself or who will give a big reaction.

Workplace bullies are different from general bullies and usually pick on people that are threatening to their position or reputation as a worker. Victims tend to be people who are very capable and well liked by others. They usually have a high anger tolerance and are less likely to speak up.

What can you do about it?

Bullying is a problem that is rarely solved on its own, so telling someone is a necessary step to ending it. To find out more about what you can do if you or someone you know is being bullied head to http://www.reachout.com.au.

What’s being done to address bullying

Bullying is now recognised as a major problem that needs appropriate attention. Most schools, universities and workplaces have anti-bullying policies, although strategies, programs and procedures for better solutions are in high demand.

A really extensive website to find out more information is: http://www.bullyonline.org/

How do I know this?

Bullying No Way!, http://www.bullyingnoway.com.au

Canada Safety Council, Bullying in the workplace http://www.safety-council.org/info/OSH/bullies.html

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Bullying in the workplace http://www.hreoc.gov.au/info_for_employers/fact/wo...

Kidshealth.org, ¬Dealing with bullies, http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/emotion/bullies.html

Reachout!, http://www.reachout.com.au

Rigby, K, Bullying in schools and what to do about it, http://www.education.unisa.edu.au/bullying/

Stop Bullying Now, http://www.stopbullyingnow.com/interven.htm

10 comments

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AndreaL7 27-Jul-2008

Bullying is not something that everyone has to experience to understand the reality of life. It is something that can be prevented and it is a form of abuse. There are of course different degrees of abuse, but in the end, the result is the same- someone gets hurt and has to deal with the emotional, and at times physical repercussions from that experience.

I was verbally abused in Jr high- which came as a shock to me because I was always the kid who stood up for myself and for others- so I didnt understand why they chose to pick on me. Turns out they were jealous and insecure.

I wasnt scared of them. Their poor judgement led me to take action against them, analyze the entire situation and the people involved- and to be honest, I couldnt help but feel sorry for them. They got what they deserved- punishment under the Anti- bullying act that is prevalent throughout all the schools in the Toronto region ( Canada)- but that probably wasnt enough. It just put a temporary bandaid over the problem.

There are bigger issues at play here. Deep down bullies are usually people suffering from their own insecurities and problems that no body ever helped them deal with. We shouldnt blame people for their faults, or weaknesses- we should help to fix them and offer positive guidance. No one is too far gone until we forget them entirely and give up on them!

xLoveWins 30-Dec-2007

My brother is constinaly bullied. We have been trying to stop it by talking to people at skewl and the teachers but no matter wat we do the bullying continues. Bullying isnt fair, yes that is a fact. I thnk the best way to stop bullying is when people watching the bullying dont watch but acctually help the victim...

raiya 04-Dec-2007

In today's society the word RESPECT does not seem to exist anymore. And thats bascially what it comes down to- everybody seems to forget about 'treat others the way you would like to be treated' if we all lived by these rules the world would be a better place.

REALITY- bullying has almost become acceptable, in every school there is a popular clan, nerd clan, sporting clan etc etc In some work places there is someone on a major power trip... Who invented these stereotypes??? WE DID!

We need to educate kids at a young age- there's no point in telling when they are already teenagers (at the age where no one's right except them) drill it into their head when they are young- teach them the word respect!!!!

Bullying is such a huge issue- so many people have experienced it at some stage of their life- its quite sad!

Kietley 04-Dec-2007

This is a hard issue to tackle because alot of people have different opinions about bullying, what it actually is and why people do it.
I define bullying as a CRUEL and tortourious act committed by a human being who sets out to deliberatly hurt another.
It seems as though over time this act has just spread across more and more environments to the point where almost anywhere you go this can and may occur.
From a first hand experience, having faced bullies for a number of years throughout school years I can honestly say that at the time, there is nothing more hurtful, painful and soul destroying than having to put on a brave face whilst you are constantly being ripped apart inside. And really the bully has no idea what he or she is actually doing, nor do they care. It is the emotions you go through behind closed doors that define the impact of 'Bullying'.

The sad thing is, if it is occuring within the school grounds, sometimes teachers choose to turn a blind eye to it. Kids are kids right.....Sometimes Bystanders are just as bad as the bully themselves.
I really think that we can help others who are going through this tourment. We can't stop it but we can help them understand it before it gets to the point where they can no longer tolerate it and things just get to tough.

My only advice to people who are going through this is.....Know that it has to and will stop. Use it all as determenation, motivation......turn all the negatives into positives and USE IT USE IT to better yourself! Learn from it....

funnelweb 21-Jun-2007

Are we becoming a society of "cotton wool kids"?
Are we a society that blames everyone else for our own misfortunates and will sue anyone who says something that our most extreme sensitivies find offensive?
There is bullying and there is abuse. Bullying is a normal thing that most people will go through at least once in their lives by an office worker, a physical trainer, the biggest kid at school - whatever...but you learn from the experience and how to handle conflict. Abuse is when bullying does not stop, becomes personal harrassment and can cause depression and mental scarring. It is a crime. Schools should be able to identify children victimised and develop anti-harrassment systems to point out the warning signs. But, parents must also play a leading role.

I had my turn when I was 7yrs old. Dad put me into martial arts. I never got into a fight at school, but I learned the confidence to stick up for myself and my friends. So some guy would say something because I forgot to brush my hair or someone thought I was a nerd or did things differently - that's life.