Bullying: Not Always in School and the Importance of Detection

On this blog I will continue my discussion of the academic journal article “Bullying in School: An Overview of Types, Effects, Family Characteristics, and Intervention Strategies”, by Paul R. Smokowski and Kelly Holland Kopasz. During this occasion I will focus on where bullying tends to occur and four types of bullies as described by Paul R. Smokowski and Kelly Holland Kopasz.

According to the academic journal article, “the majority of bullying incidents occur in or close to school.” However, studies have had difficulty trying to pinpoint the specific age group in which bullying is most prevalent. A common tendency noted by the article is that bullying tends to occur where adult supervision is minimal and insufficient. As a result, the article describes “[school] playgrounds and hallways [as] two of the most common sites for [bullying, in the form of student] altercations.”

As I have conducted my investigation on bullying, a common feature I have noticed within texts about bullying, even among articles written by “bullying experts”, is the tendency to associate bullying with schools and children. Although, schools may be the setting in which most bullying occurs, and children may be the individuals most often involved with bullying, it is not always necessarily the case. As discussed within a previous blog, bullying can also occur among adults within the workplace. Bullying is neither age nor setting specific. In addition, although it may be that bullying occurs where there is least adult supervision, I would specify that bullying occurs where adult supervision is negligent. As previously discussed, some researchers have noted a tendency towards the normalization of bullying, in which adults dismiss bullying as normal.

As previously stated the journal article identifies four different types of bullies: physical bullies, verbal bullies, relational bullies, and reactive bullies. Physical bullies are described as bullies that are “action-oriented and use direct bullying behaviors, such as biting and kicking.” With the passage of time, physical bullies become increasingly aggressive and may continue to display bullying behaviors into adulthood. The journal article notes that physical bullies are the easiest type of bullies to identify. Verbal bullies are described as bullies that “use words to hurt or humiliate their victims.” The journal article states that verbal bullies are often difficult to detect and intervene. However, despite not leaving any visible scars, verbal bullies can still cause devastating effects. Relational bullies are described as bullies that “convince their peers to exclude certain [individuals].” According to the journal article, relational bullies cause damage to other individuals by leading them towards feelings of rejection. Reactive bullies are described as “impulsive [bullies, usually] taunting others into fighting them.” The journal article notes that reactive bullies will fight others, but then claim self-defense. As a result, reactive bullies can be the most difficult to identify.

            An interesting feature I noticed about bullying is that most forms of bullying are not physical. As a result, most forms of bullying are not actually visible. However, as noted within the article, just because a form of bullying is not visible, it does not mean that its effects are less devastating or detrimental. Quite on the contrary, it means that many forms of bullying often go undetected and are hurting individuals “under the radar.” Investigators and researchers need to keep this in mind when trying to design and implement effective anti-bullying strategies. Perhaps more emphasis should be placed on developing more effective detection strategies. An alternative would be to provide bullying victims with encouragement and incentives for reaching out for help. Anti-bullying strategies can never be successfully implemented, if the bullying is never detected.