The Characteristics of Bullies

On this blog I will discuss the characteristics of bullies as discussed within 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.

According to the journal article, most bullies share common characteristics. The common characteristics of bullies include being overly aggressive, being destructive, being hot-tempered, being impulsive, enjoying dominating others, and having a low tolerance for frustration One problem with bullying is that researchers have found that bullies are “more likely to be involved with other [problematic] behaviors, such as drinking and smoking.” Another problem is that bullies tend to show “poorer school achievement” and demonstrate a dislike towards school. The journal article states that most bullies see violence positively, as a means to solve their problems or fulfill their needs. In addition to using violence to gain or maintain their dominance over others, bullies use violence as a means to obtain rewards such as money and prestige.

An interesting observation I made is that it seems that the “benefits” of engaging in bullying behaviors currently outweigh the “negative consequences” of engaging in bullying behaviors. As noted within other blogs, bullying is very hard to detect. Even when bullying is identified or acknowledged, many times it tends to be dismissed or normalized. As a result, bullies may see their activities as “low risk”. Currently, bullies have very little to lose by engaging in bullying behaviors, but much to gain. As noted within the article, by engaging in bullying behaviors bullies gain rewards and prestige, maintain their dominance over others, and are able to solve their problems. The article also makes reference to bullying as a “gateway form of violence”, which I have discussed in previous blogs. As a result, I believe the consequences of bullying should be restructured. This is not to say that bullies should be handed down capital punishment. However, I do believe some form of reprimand needs to be put in place so that bullying will decrease. Ideally it would be great if anti-bullying strategies focused on determining what has been triggering the bullying. Perhaps bullies can be shown alternative, socially accepted ways to obtain what they want. For example, perhaps anti-bullying programs could help recovering bullies obtain a job. In this manner, instead of bullying someone into handing over their money, bullies would be able to earn their own money and buy what they want.