Victims of Bullying

On this blog I will begin my analysis victims of bullying as discussed within the 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 Smokowski and Kopasz most victims of bullying are passive or submissive, however one-third of bullying victims exhibit aggressive attitudes. The journal article only briefly mentions this tendency. However, I believe that this statement is of critical importance and demands further investigation. Researchers may be neglecting a critical sub-population of victims. It may be that these victims are in the process of becoming the bully-victims I have previously discussed in the past. These victims may provide critical revelations to researchers investigating the factors that trigger aggressive behaviors within people. In fact, it may be that the aggressive behavior exhibited by certain victims provides one answer for the existence of bully-victims. It may be that these victims have found that their only route of escape or temporarily relief from bullying is to bully other individuals themselves. In this manner these victims may at least deter some individuals from bullying them all of the time.

Smokowski and Kopasz describe victims of bullying as being physically small, weak, and frail when compared to bullies. In fact, the journal article states that the physical composure of victims is what often leaves them vulnerable and “unable to protect themselves from [the] abuse [of bullies].” The journal article goes on to state that victims of bullying may exhibit “body anxiety” and fear towards getting hurt. In fact, when victims of bullying are attacked, Smokowski and Kopasz report that victims usually react by crying or withdrawing.  Although all the aforementioned characteristics are typical of victims, it would be erroneous to believe that they are always true. In fact, I believe it would be erroneous to think of bullying as being based exclusively on physical characteristics. For example, individuals can be marginalized based on their mental capabilities. This phenomenon can be observed within school settings during the formation of groups for school based projects. Students considered “smart” will often marginalize certain students and prevent them from joining their groups. In fact, on some occasions, “smart” students can be seen making fun of students who are not as knowledgeable as they are.