Bullying is a grave issue in our society. It starts at school, and it exists everywhere, even in the workplace. Victims of bullying are prone to mental health issues like low self-confidence, depression, and stress. Bullies usually have high self-esteem. They feed off the self-esteem of their victims. In schools, bullying affects academic performance. More than 20% of students are being bullied every year in the US. It has resulted in 160k students skipping school, only because of bullying. Verbal harassment is the most common form of bullying in schools. Other types include physical bullying, social harassment, and cyberbullying. Almost all teachers witness bullying daily. Bullying stops getting reported as the kids grow. Students from higher grades experience more bullying, but reporting is virtually nought. It can affect everyone involved. The bully, victim, and the bystander who does nothing about the incident are all affected by it. It can even lead to suicide. To prevent bullying, every boarding school in Dehradun follows an anti-bullying policy. And takes strict action against bullies.
Bullies are also victims of a kind. They start alcohol and substance abuse. They get involved in sexual activities at an early stage. As adults, they are more likely to get convicted for criminal activities and show abusive behavior toward their spouses and children. The bystanders experience a series of mental health issues. They skip classes often and get in trouble. The victims are the ones that are most affected, obviously. They show physical and psychological complaints at very early stages. They refrain from active participation in school events and lose interest in their hobbies. Some kids respond with extremely violent behavior. Twelve out of fifteen school shooters have been bullied regularly at school.
Bullying in the workplace is also very deteriorative to self-esteem. It can block the victim’s professional success. Workplace bullying is harder to identify. Usual criticism should not be mistaken for bullying. Misleading job assignments, spreading rumors, humiliation, harsh and targeted criticism & performance analyses can be pointed out as bullying. Statistical data says that women are the primary victims of workplace bullying. Workplaces are still male-dominated in many countries. But the bullies can be both male and female. Both of them target females, according to studies. A company’s productivity is drastically reduced due to bullying.
Sometimes, people don’t even know that they are bullying someone. They take things for granted and think that it is not such a big deal. But, it may make life a living hell for the victims. It is essential to care for each other in the school or work environment to make it easier for everyone. If you want to know whether you are bullying someone, think through the following:
- Are you continually getting complained? It may be because you are unknowingly troublesome.
- Try taking the empathy test. It helps you analyze whether you feel empathy for others. If you don’t meet the average scores, then you should seriously rethink your actions.
- You humiliate someone in front of others often and be aggressive. You shout and swear and think it is brave.
- You misuse your powers. Think of the last time you used your power or position to do something that you are not supposed to do.
Evaluate your actions and think of it from the perspectives of others around you. Ask yourself if what you would do if the same happened to you. You can know a lot about yourself and have the chance to correct your mistakes. Try to change your behavior if you find yourself to be a bully. Consider educating others about the ill effects of bullying. Taking the first step against bullying saves a lot of your friends from being bullied. Making amends for your actions and try to rebuild relationships.