Future Action Against Bullying

Today I will finish discussing the academic journal article, “The causes and nature of bullying and social exclusion in schools” by Maria el Mar Badia Martin. Badia Martin states that “existing research gives a number of pointers as to how to improve intervention effectiveness [against bullying] in the future.” As a result, on this occasion I will discuss the future of school bullying, including topics that, according to Badia Martin, should be focused on when creating strategies against school bullying.

Badia Martin states that presently “anti-bullying materials often emphasize the more obvious physical and direct verbal forms [of bullying].” As a result, Badia Martin believes that more attention should be paid to “girls bullying, […rumor]-spreading, and social exclusion.” In my opinion, focusing on indirect forms of bullying, such as rumor spreading, will continue to increase in importance. As technology advances, this type of bullying is becoming more prevalent and increasingly easier to commit. Thus bullying committed through technology and social media is bound to increase. As a result, I believe researchers should work on creating strategies that aim to prevent bullying committed through the use of technology and social media, before it becomes a huge problem.

In a previous blog, I expressed my belief that researchers should focus on creating anti-bullying strategies aimed at transforming “Neutral Outsiders” into “Defenders”. Badia Martin seems to share this belief because she expresses that “peer support schemes can aim to turn ‘bystanders’ into ‘defenders’.” Badia Martin also states that “since roles take time to get established, starting anti-bullying work early, including, for example, awareness raising and assertiveness training in infant and junior schools, may be important.” In other words, Badia Martin believes that anti-bullying strategies should be implemented at an early age. This statement seems to support a claim I made  in a previous blog in which I stated that the way to stop a problem, such as bullying, is to prevent it from ever developing and occurring.

The text notes that although “teachers have good knowledge about some aspects of bullying [, they…] do not feel fully equipped to tackle it." In fact, the text states that “since 1996, several successful legal actions have been taken by pupils or their parents against schools in which they were persistently bullied.” As a result, I believe that strategies aimed at reducing school bullying should focus on ensuring that teachers are equipped with adequate strategies and methods for addressing school bullying. Badia Martin seems to share my opinion because she states that a challenge “is to ensure that school policies form a sound base for further action, informed by the continuing research on the issue.” The text states that although “some schools now have an anti-bullying policy; […] there is no clear evidence that the quality or content of [the] anti-bullying policies, in themselves, predict [victimization] rates."

Badia Martin acknowledges that “schools have a vital role in reducing bullying.” However, Badia Martin also notes that “wider society; parenting skills and [behaviors]; portrayals of violence in the mass media; and attitudes to aggression, bullying, and violence in society, the workplace (including among teachers), and the local community,” also have an influence in reducing bullying.  In my opinion, this is an important idea to keep in mind. As previously stated, in another blog, there is no “clear cut solution” or “one-size-fits-all solution” that will be able to get rid of school bullying in its entirety because each school has its own unique context. As a result, each school  will need to create its own unique strategy that works at effectively diminishing school bullying. Keeping Badia Martin's aforementioned characteristics in mind will ultimately help researchers develop effective strategies for reducing school bullying.

Coping Strategies for Bullying and Their Effectiveness

In today’s blog I will discuss bullying coping strategies presented within “The causes and nature of bullying and social exclusion in schools” by Maria el Mar Badia Martin. According to Badia Martin, the success of bullying coping strategies “varies and is age dependent and gender dependent.” However, one consensus that seems to be reached by various studies is that “non-assertive [coping] strategies such as crying are less successful than ignoring or seeking help.” What Badia Martin seems to highlight is that the success of bullying coping strategies varies by school. In other words, a bullying coping strategy that works within one school does not necessarily mean that it will be equally effective or successful within another school. The text seems to support my interpretation because it states that “the success of [students] seeking help [for bullying] will depend on the school context.”

Badia Martin states that an “important part of school context appears to be the existence of peer support systems,” which can encourage students to seek for help from “peer supporters, teachers or others.” According to the text, “there has been [a] growing interest in peer support and mediation as an approach to bullying.” However, the text acknowledges that “more evaluation research is needed [on the success of the aforementioned approach.]" In addition, the text points out several problems that can arise with peer support systems, “due to […] hostility to peer helpers from other pupils; difficulties in recruiting boys as peer supporters; issues of power sharing with staff; and ensuring sufficient time and resources for proper implementation.” The text notes that, so far, evaluations of peer support methods suggest “clear benefits for the peer supporters themselves, and general improvement of the school climate; but specific benefits for victims of bullying remain to be proven.” In fact, “evaluations of active listening/counseling-based approaches [have] found that the majority of peer supporters [report] benefits arising from the interpersonal skills and teamwork acquired in training;” users of peer support systems report that “peer supporters [offer] helpful interventions;” and most pupils and teachers believe that “the service [of active listening/counseling-based approaches is] having [a positive] impact on the school as a whole.”

While I agree that the support and guidance offered by peer support systems can be extremely beneficial to victims of bullying, I believe that the existence of peer support systems is not enough. In essence, I think it is a mistake if researchers and educators believe that the creation of peer support systems is the answer to diminishing bullying. In my opinion, an important question researchers should focus on is: How can schools encourage victims of bullying to use bullying coping strategies, such as peer support systems. What good is it if schools have peer support systems, but the victims of bullying refuse to use them?

Subgroups of Bullying

In a previous blog I discussed about the four main types of individuals that exist in regards to bullying. The four main categories of individuals included: 1) Bullies 2) Victims 3) Bully/Victims and 4) Neutrals. On this occasion I will expand that discussion and include more specific roles. I will begin by defining three subgroups found within the category of “Bullies”. Then I will define two distinct subgroups found within the category of “Neutrals.”

According to Christina Salmivalli the category of “Bullies” can be divided into the following subgroups: 1) Ringleaders, 2) Followers, and 3) Reinforces.

1) Ringleaders – Refers to individuals who “[organize] a group of bullies and [initiate] the bullying.”

2) Followers – Refers to individuals who “join in the bullying once it [has] started.”

3) Reinforcers – Refers to individuals who “do not actively join in [the bullying], but reinforce more passively by watching and laughing or encouraging the bullying.”

Upon an initial glance it may be easy to point to “Ringleaders” and believe that they are the worse subgroup that exists within the category of “Bullies”. However, while it may be true that “Ringleaders” are the individuals that initiate the bullying, it does not excuse or justify the bullying behaviors exhibited by “Followers” and “Reinforcers”. In fact, it may be the case that “Followers” and “Reinforcers” play a more essential role in bullying than “Ringleaders” themselves. I highly doubt “Ringleaders” would continue to initiate and conduct their bullying behaviors if “Followers” and “Reinforcers” turned against them and frowned upon bullying. As a result, researchers should not only be focusing on creating strategies that deter “Ringleaders” from organizing bullying activities. Instead, researchers should be investigating what drives “Followers” to join the bullying and what provokes “Reinforcers” to watch or encourage bullying behaviors, instead of taking a stand against bullying behaviors and helping victims. “Ringleaders” seem to feed of the encouragement and support they obtain from “Followers” and “Reinforcers.” As a result, it may be the case that addressing “Followers” and “Reinforcers” is the best course of action to take within the strategy of diminishing bullying.

Christina Salmivalli also divides the category of “Neutrals” into the subgroups of: 1) Outsiders and 2) Defenders.

1) Outsiders - Refers to individuals who “are completely non-involved [in bullying].”

2) Defenders - Refers to individuals who “help the [victims of bullying], get help, or tell the bullies to stop.”

Although it is not initially apparent, “Outsiders” and “Defenders” could play key roles in reducing bullying. If “Outsiders” stepped in and helped victims of bullying, then perhaps overall bullying would significantly diminish. As a result, I believe researchers should spend some time focusing on discovering what might encourage “Outsiders” to take action and help victims of bullying, instead of simply ignoring the problem as if it does not exist. In essence, researchers should focus on figuring out how “Outsiders” can be transformed into “Defenders”.

Source: “The causes and nature of bullying and social exclusion in schools” by Maria el Mar Badia Martin

Bully, Victim, and Bully/Victim Characteristics

             Today I will discuss some of the characteristics that according to “The causes and nature of bullying and social exclusion in schools”, by Maria el Mar Badia Martin, are exhibited by bullies, victims, and bully/victims. According to the text, victims of bullying are “often targeted because they are considered different,” which usually entails being “overweight, small, [having] a learning disability, or [being] overly sensitive.” However, I think it is important to realize that victims may be equally targeted for having the opposite traits, such as being underweight, being extremely tall, being very intelligent, or being emotionally indifferent. As a result, I believe that the key word found within Badia Martin’s description of victims is the word “different”. There is no perfect category that encompasses all victims of bullying because humans, especially children, are extremely creative, even if the creativeness is not always used for good intentions. As a result, if children set their minds to bullying, they will always find a way to make fun of another person who is different or whom they dislike.

            The text states that both boys and girls can be bullies and victims. However, the text also notes that “there is a pattern to their meanness.” According to the text, “girls generally mock others for their physical appearance.” On the other hand, “boys tend to make more sexually explicit comments.” The text offers no possible explanation for these findings. However, it seems to me that in both cases there may be issues regarding self-conscious awareness. It may be that bullies, both boys and girls, are trying to increase their own-self esteem. Perhaps bullying originates as a form of retaliation to bullying experiences of the past, or as a form of protection in which the bully bullies others with the intent to appear as the dominant individual and to deter other individuals who might try to bully them.

            In regards to bully/victims the text states that bully/victims “have irritative tendencies, are often hyperactive in [school], often break rules in games, try to join groups in a heavy-handed manner and provoke bullying behavior from others.” In addition, the text states that bully/victims are “provocative, physically stronger and more assertive than pure victims and have been found to be the least popular children in class.” The awkward position in which bully/victims find themselves might be what forces these individuals to act in the aforementioned manners. Just imagine the amount of inner pressure bully/victims feel as they pass from being the victim to being the bully, and vice-versa. It seems to me that most bully/victims begin as victims only, but then because of social pressures and the necessity to “fit in”, or in order to no longer be victimized, the victims start to bully others who are weaker than them. As a result, bully/victims are left being the most unpopular children in school, because they are hated by those who bully them and are also hated by their victims. The text seems to support this viewpoint, because it states that “bully/victims and their behavior problems appear to match closely [to] the picture of the rejected aggressive pupil.”