Bullying

Bullying has always been a problem. Many think that because it

doesnt happen to you that it isnt a problem; but what about when it does?
Bullying takes many shapes and forms, but the most common two are
mental and physical bullying. When you hear that someone is being bullied,
what do you think of? Just that run of the mill swirlies and wet willies? Well, it
usually goes deeper than that. One of the biggest problems in todays
society is bullying, whether it be mental and physical. Either of which can be
stopped or prevented before it ever begins.
Mental bullying is one of the most common types of bullying. Contrary
to common belief, bullying doesnt just affect children; it affects many adults
as well. Emotional bullying isnt just seen on the playground; emotional
bullying, although likely subtler, is seen in adult relationships and workplaces
too. (Tracy) Unlike physical bullying, mental or emotional bullying deal
solely with verbal abuse. The most common ways that people mentally bully
others are by doing things like name calling, using sarcasm, lying,
humiliating others, and so on. This abuse can have many detrimental effects;
the most common are depression and low self-esteem. Children who are
mentally bullied generally have their grades drop and may be more timid
than usual. Mental bullying can be prevented, however. But in order to
prevent it, everybody needs to know the signs. Noticing that someone is
constantly sad, or more quiet than usual, is often the result of being bullied.
I, for one, was bullied for a good sum of my elementary school days and part

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of middle school. I was a shy kid who didnt have very many friends. This put
a target on my head that basically made me a mental punching bag. It
wasnt until someone stood up for me that I began to gain self-confidence
and more friends. But it was all because that one individual knew what was
going on, and he had the heart to stick up for me.

Physical bullying is a way of forcefully harming others to make the said

bully feel more supreme than his or her victims. Unlike mental bullying,
physical bullying has to do with physically or sexually assaulting someone in
a way that does harm or is nonconsensual. Physical bullying is determined by
the following: The victim is targeted repeatedly, the bully or bullies intend
to hurt, embarrass, or intimidate the victim, or the actions occur in a
situation with a real or perceived imbalance of power (SAMHSA Family
Guide) this is the basics of determining if someone is being bullied or not.
Most times physical bullying is classified as punching, kicking, slapping,
biting, etc. Basically, anything physical that does harm to another person. Its

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not as common, but sexual bullying also happens. Sexual bullying follows the
lines of sexual assault or rape. We can prevent physical bullying by
recognizing the signs before it happens. Watch for things such as
unexplained injuries (bruises, scrapes, etc.), stolen/damaged property,
depression, avoiding school/work, and seclusion.
In conclusion, we can determine that bullying is a problem. Whether
we are being bullied or not, it happens. We dont need awareness for it, we
need a change. We need someone to stick up for that person in need. We
need those who are being bullied to speak up. We need people to respect
one another, especially when they have problems they cant change. Its also
important to recognize the signs so that we can make a difference. If youre
witnessing bullying without doing anything, youre just as bad. We cant stop
it all, but by identifying when its happening we can certainly make a change
by helping those that are being bullied.

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Works Cited
Lawrence Robinson, Jeanne Segal. Dealing with Bullying. September 2015.
webpage. 18 October 2015.
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/abuse/dealing-with-bullying.htm
SAMHSA Family Guide, Nemours, TeensHealth, Consortium to Prevent School
Violence, HealthNewsDigest.com. Bullying Statistics. n.d. webpage. 18
October 2015.
http://www.healthyplace.com/abuse/emotional-psychologicalabuse/emotional-bullying-and-how-to-deal-with-an-emotional-bully/
Tracy, Natasha. Emotional Bullying and How to Deal with an Emotional Bully.
24 July 2012. webpage. 18 October 2015.
http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/physical-bullying.html