BullyBullying is a serious issue that is faced by many people, and can leave a child to live in complete fear. It is abusive and intolerable to exist in any home or school. There are all types of bullies and all types of victims. Bullying can cause lifelong psychological effects that may require therapy in order to overcome. In more serious cases, the bullying has gotten so bad that the victim chooses to take their own life just to escape the bullying they endure. It is helpful to recognize the behavior of a bully as well as the signs that someone is a victim as the sooner the signs are spotted the sooner help can arrive for all parties involved. What is Bullying?Bullying can consist of many different types of behaviors. Physical bullying consists of any type of physical violence. This type of bullying makes up 30.5% of school bullying. It consists of actually beating of the victim or a simple action of sticking out ones foot and tripping someone. Another type of bullying is verbal bullying. This type of bullying consists of name calling, teasing, making fun of others, and threats of violence. This type of bulling makes up 46.5% of bullying incidents in school. Next is intimidation. This type of bullying occurs when the victim is threatened in order for the bully to get them to do what they want them to do such as homework assignments or giving them money. Lastly, and most disturbing is cyber bullying. This type of bullying is perhaps the most dangerous type of bullying as it can be done anonymously. Cyber bullying can find many mediums such as email, text messaging, and social networks such as Face Book and MySpace. Here the bully can remain unknown as they can create fake screen names and profiles. It makes it easier to be a bully and to fall victim. Cyber bullying can consist of threats of violence, verbal abuse, and spreading false information for the purpose of embarrassing someone or hurting their reputations.

Who is the Bully?Possibility of the reason being the bullying attitude is that they feels that they have no control in their lives. Maybe their home life is out of control and they are not listened to or valued by their family. In order to compensate for the lack of value at home the bully finds it in other places in unhealthy ways. Even though these are all valid explanations sometimes the only explanation is that the bully is a mean and cruel person who only feels good when they can cause others harm. The above mentioned facts on bullies have been widely accepted for many years, but new research proposes that bullying is something entirely different to some people.Psychologists used to believe that bullies have low self-esteem, and put down other people to feel better about themselves. Though there are different reasons behind the behavior of bullying, most bullies have certain things in common. Bullies behave in a dominant manner and cast blame for the bad things in their lives upon others. Though bullying is a learned behavior, genetics can play a part. For instance, some people are more predisposed to violence and aggression. However, not all of them will become bullies. Some are able to find ways to take out their aggression in more healthy ways. Another commonality in bullies is that they are attention seekers. Although the attention they receive is negative they still crave it as often it is the only attention that they receive.Who are the Victims?Though anyone can become the target of a bully, there are some commonalties between those who fall victim to bullying as bullies tend to choose a certain type of person to abuse. There are many reasons how and why bullies target others, and the reasons are consistent between cases. People who are victims of bullying find themselves being bullied due to their achievements, do not have a large circle of friends, subjected to unwarranted teasing and rumors, and tend to be more serious about important things in life such as school or work. Targets of bullies often have little or no friends who can stick up for them and have low self-esteem. When being bullied, they become visibly frightened, cry, or do not have an appropriate response. That is just what the child who bullies wants; it becomes an invitation to even more bullying.

Effects of Bullying on the VictimBullying will cause lasting lifelong effect on the victim. Many victims need counselling to come to grips with the bullying and to help them to rebuild their lives as bullying can lead to depression, panic attacks, and physical ailments such as ulcers. Children who are bullied often suffer academically due to the fact that they fear going to school where the source of their stress resides. Some children are so affected by bullying that they choose not to further their education due to fear of having to face bullying in college. Many people who are bullied are so hurt by the cruel treatment that they contemplate suicide and some actually attempt and succeed in taking their own lives. It is common for children who are bullied to be the victim of bullying in their adult lives as well since their self esteem has been so devalued and they cannot seem to find the courage to stop being a victim.Another serious issue for the victims of bullying is that the friends that they do have turn their back on the victim because they are afraid of being the outcast or the target. This further alienates the victim from their normal world. Also, for some victims, being bullied is a whole other learning experience. Sometimes the victim, out of anger and lack of control of their own lives, seek out someone who is weaker than they are and target them; hence the victim turns into the bully. These are all serious effects that can truly change the victims life and outlook on the future.Effects of Bullying on the BullyThough it may sound strange, there are actually negative effects from bullying on the bullies themselves. Bullies can suffer long-term effects of bullying if their behavior is not addressed. Sometimes a bully can actually hate the way they treat their victims but somehow feel justified in doing so since they are abused by others as well. This feeling tends to override the feeling of empathy which makes for a psychological mess for the bully. Feeling conflicted about their behavior is also a source of stress that makes them want to bully more. If a bully is not stopped and treated then the chance of them stopping and becoming a different and healthier person is very small and their behavior will continue into adulthood, affecting the type of life they lead.

What Can we Do?Bullying does not have to be a reality that one must live with. If a person is being bullied they should tell someone; a parent, teacher, or counselor. Parents must take an active role in their childs life and safety. If a parent knows that their child is bullying then they must take steps to stop this behavior. Going to counseling can help get to the root of the issue and help the bully to change their behavior before it is too late. If a person is a witness to a bullying event then it is their responsibility to step in whether by taking up for the victim or by getting an adult right away. ConclusionBullying is a serious issue. There are many reasons for bullying but none are so serious that they cannot be overcome with the right treatment. This type of behavior must be curbed as it has proven to have lasting psychological effects on the victims and lasting effects on the bully as well. Knowing what bullying is and what the signs of bullying are is a step in the right direction in stopping it in its tracks. There is help for both the bully and the victim and anyone who knows that bullying is going on is responsible for helping to get the process of help going. It may not be happening to you personally, but it is everyones responsibility to help stop it.