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Journal of
School SocialPriceWork
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A National School Social Work monthly dedicated to networking of parents and teachers.
Volume VII Issue 07 Contents December 2010
Page
Editorial 02
Curbing Cyber Bullying Rekha N Mistry 03
Steps to Reduce Peer Bullying Raja P
Dr Saraswathi L 09
Therapies for Bullies and Bullied Uma L 13
Bullying – An Overview Lucy Josephine A
Dr Kalamathi A 16
Behaviourism and Bullying Radha Vallury 19
Bullying : A Psycho-social Disorder Kalaiarasi M 22
Bullying: A Social Evil Padmini M 26
Anti-bullying: Role of Parents Rani Manda 29
Can Bullying be Eradicated? Sripriya P
Dr Kalaimathi A 31

Journal of S C H O O L SOCIAL WORK
Focus: Bullying
Hony. Special Editor: Ramesh K S,
Head and Student Consellor, P G Department of Social Work
Mar Gregorios College, Mogappair, Chennai
Journal of School Social W ork,
8 (New 14), Sridevi Colony, Seventh Avenue,
Ashok Nagar, Chennai 600 083
Mobile: 98406 02325 E-mail: jssw.india@gmail.com
Note: Views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily the official view of the Journal.
December 2010 Journal of S C H O O L SOCIAL WORK December 2010 01
Editorial Can Bullies Go Scot-free?
Earth is considered as Mother in teachers between 2002 and 2005
Hindu Mythology and meant to across Dehra Dun, Mussoorie and
provide equal space and opportunity Chandigarh found that students had
to all organisms that are inter bullying experiences both on the
dependent on each other to live playground and in the classrooms.
peacefully. The human race, being The report also says, even in the age
unique has taken control over all the group of 14 to 18 years, 58.7% boys
other species and edged them out and 65.09% girls reported bullying.
with the so called sixth sense. And Forms of bullying may vary among
now, through bullying, some of us boys and girls but the news that more
want to edge out the weak, deprived than 2,300 children committed
and voiceless ones amongst us. suicide last year many of which
According to Dan Olweus, the directly attributed to bullying at
Swedish researcher, bullying can be schools, is shocking to say the least.
physical, psychological, emotional, That ‘bullying’ happens at every
social or economic independently or stage of life, at all the times and in all
in any combination. Modernity has parts of the world is not an excuse.
added a new menace in the form of But, if it happens in India with its
cyber bullying. culture of demonstrated tolerance
The largest research on violence even towards the aggressors, it is to
against children (of both sexes) be considered seriously and every
conducted in 2007 by the Ministry of effort made to nip it in the bud.
Women and Child Development, So, school social workers have to be
Government of India revealed that appointed to make schools safe for
two out of three children were children. Correcting bullies without
physically abused and every other compromising the bullied, is the real
child faced one or more forms of challenge for School Social Work.
sexual abuse. But, is bullying restricted to children
The Bullying Research Initiative in and commoners? Not so anymore.
Training and Education (BRITE) in its if WikiLeaks is to be believed, even
survey of school students and diplomats are bullies!
02 Journal of S C H O O L SOCIAL WORK December 2010
Focus Steps to Reduce Peer Bullying
Raja P*
Saraswathi L**
*Raja P, Principal, Sri Vidya college of Education, Virudhunagar.
**Dr Saraswathi L, Principal, Thiyagarajar College of Preceptors, Madurai.
Introduction imbalance of power with the more
There is an increase in the frequency powerful individual or group abusing
of bullying behaviours among peers those who are less powerful. The
in schools in recent years. Violence power imbalance may be social power
among peers in schools is a and/ or physical power. Bullying is
widespread phenomenon that worries an act of repeated aggressive
psychologists, teachers and families behaviour in order to intentionally hurt
in many countries around the world. another person, physically or
One of the most pervasive forms of mentally. Bullying is characterized by
school violence is bullying, which has an individual behaving in a certain
been defined as a repeated way to gain power over another
aggressive behaviour perpetrated by person who is ‘exposed, repeatedly
a bully, or a group of bullies, who and over time, to negative actions on
systematically victimize a weaker the part of one or more other persons’.
peer. Many acts of violence in schools He defines negative action as ‘when
show that peer bullying has increased a person intentionally inflicts injury or
worldwide. Olweus reports in his discomfort upon another person,
Swedish study, in which he examined through physical contact, through
1,30,000 school children between the words or in other ways.’ Bullying in
ages of 7 and 16, that 5-9 percent of school and the workplace is also
students are exposed to bullying referred to as peer abuse.
regularly. Bullying is detrimental to Risk factors of bullying
student’s wellbeing and development. Research indicates that adults who
Meaning and definition of bullying bully have personalities that are
Bullying is a form of abuse. It authoritarian, combined with a strong
comprises repeated acts over time need to control or dominate. While
that involves a real or perceived some bullies are arrogant and
Journal of S C H O O L SOCIAL WORK December 2010 09
narcissistic, others use bullying as a
tool to conceal shame or anxiety or
to boost self-esteem. Researchers
have identified other risk factors such
as
àDepression.
àPersonality disorders.
àQuickness to anger.
àUse of force.
à Addiction to aggressive
behaviours.
à Mistaking others’ actions as
hostile.
à Concern with preserving self-
image.
àEngaging in obsessive or rigid
actions.
A combination of these factors may
also cause this behaviour. Bullying
can occur in any context in which
human beings interact with each
other. This includes school, public
places, the workplace, home and
neighbourhoods. It is even a common
push factor in migration. Bullying can
exist between social groups, social
classes and even between countries.
School bullying
In schools, bullying occurs in all areas
of school. It can occur in nearly any
part in or around the school building,
though it more often occurs in PT
10 Journal of S C H O O L SOCIAL WORK
room, recess period, hallways,
bathrooms, on school buses and
waiting for buses, classes that require
group work and / or after school
activities. Bullying in school
sometimes consists of a group of
students taking advantage of or
isolating one student in particular and
gaining the loyalty of bystanders who
want to avoid becoming the next
victim. These bullies taunt and tease
their target before physically bullying
them. Targets of bullying in school are
often pupils who are considered
strange or treated differently by their
peers, making the situation harder
for them to deal with. One student or
a group can bully another student or
a group of students. Bystanders may
participate or watch, sometimes out
of fear of becoming the next victim.
However, there is some research
suggesting that a significant
proportion of ‘normal’ school children
may not evaluate school-based
violence (student- on-student
victimization) as negatively or as
being unacceptable as many adults
generally do. But they may derive
enjoyment from it, and they may not
see a reason to prevent it if it brings
them joy at some level. Bullying can
December 2010
also be perpetrated by teachers and
the school system itself. There is an
inherent power difference in the
system that can easily predispose to
subtle or covert abuse (relational
aggression or passive aggression),
humiliation, or exclusion – even while
maintaining overt commitments to
anti-bullying policies. Bullying consists
of three basic types of abuse –
emotional, verbal and physical. It
typically involves subtle methods of
coercion such as psychological
manipulation. With the advent of
internet and mobile phones, cyber
bullying has also joined the rank.
Physical bullying
Ross (1998) states that direct bullying
involves a great deal of physical
aggression such as shoving and
poking, throwing things, slapping,
choking, punching, and kicking,
stabbing, pulling hair, scratching,
biting, scraping and pinching.
Social bullying
Aggression or indirect bullying is
characterized by threatening the
victim into social isolation. This
isolation is achieved through a wide
variety of techniques, including
spreading gossip, refusing to socialize
with the victim, bullying other people
Journal of S C H O O L SOCIAL WORK
who wish to socialize with the victim
and criticizing the victim’s manner of
dress and other socially- significant
markers (including the victim’s race,
religion, and disability). Ross outlines
other forms of indirect bullying which
are more subtle and more likely to be
verbal, such as name-calling, the
silent treatment, arguing others into
submission, manipulation, gossip/
false gossip, lies, rumours/ false
propaganda, staring, giggline,
laughing at the victim, saying certain
words that trigger a reaction from a
past event, and mocking. The
children’s charity act against bullying,
an NGO was set up in 2003 inUK to
help children who were victims of this
type of bullying by researching and
publishing coping skills.
Suggestions to reduce bullying
à Organize anti-bullying
programmes.
àPromote co- operation among
students through projects.
àGroup discussion in the class
rooms.
àInvolve bullies in school function.
àAdopt peer dispute resolutions
technique.
àTrain peers as moderators.
àCase study.
December 2010 11
 àHumanitarian approach by the even fatally. Empathic skills may
teacher in the class room. prevent peer bullying as per some
à Counselling for parents and scientific investigations. Attitude of
bullies. students displaying bullying behaviour
àInvolving bullies in sports and can gradually be changed as they
games like karate, yoga and improve their skills of empathy. It is
meditations. essential to give informal education
àAdopting tutor system. and organize counselling cell in every
àOrganizing training programme to schools.
raise the self-esteem of students. Channelizing the energy of the bullies
àEstablishing counselling cell. will undoubtedly help as the potential
Conclusions of bullies and bullied will be
Peer bullying has different results developed to the maximum and
annoying and affecting the weaker utilized in a productive way.
References:
Besag V E (1989): Bullies and Victims in Schools, Open University Press, England.
Brodsky C (1976): The Harassed Worker, Heath and Company, Lexington,
Massachusetts.
Ellen deLara, Garbarino, James (2003): And Words Can Hurt Forever: How to
protect Adolescents from Bullying, Harassment, and Emotional Violence, Free
Press, New York. ISBN 0-7432-2899-5.
Ross P N (1998): Arresting Violence: A Resource Guide for Schools and Their
Communities, Ontario Public School Teacher’s Federation. Toronto.
Ashforth, Blake (1994): Petty Tyranny In Organizations, Human Relations, Vol.
47, No. 7, 755 – 778
Gratitude
We remain thankful to everyone who had helped JOURNAL OF SCHOOL
SOCIAL WORK, through thick and thin. In trying times you carried JSSW
on your shoulders. Thanks honorary board members, special editors, co-
opted members, and my guru and mentor, Prof. Visvesvaran P K.
We are in the process of reconstituting the editorial board. Those who want
to remain in the board please indicate your willingness in writing and those
who would like to join us please feel free to send your consent to the editor.
~Ed.
12 Journal of S C H O O L SOCIAL WORK December 2010 Journal of S C H O O L SOCIAL WORK December 2010