Bullying in the schools has negative effects on individual students and on the school climate as a

whole. Bullying can cause long-term problems for both the victims of bullying and the bullies
themselves. To explore the effects of bullying on adolescents, we will define bullying, identify the
characteristics of bullies and victims, outline the extent and consequences of bullying, and present
resources for further information and assistance.
             Bullying is any behavior that is initiated by one or more students against a victim or victims
that causes physical or psychological intimidation. Bullying behaviors can be classified as either
direct (such as teasing, threatening, hitting, or stealing) or indirect (such as rumor spreading or
social isolation). Boys typically employed direct methods of bullying, while girls tend to use in direct
methods. Either way, behaviors must occur repeatedly overtime to be classified as bullying.
             Characteristics of Bullies and Victims
             There are specific behaviors that bullies tend to exhibit. The bullies often need to feel
powerful and in control. They may feel no remorse when they inflict injury and suffering on others.
Bullies tend to defy authority and are likely to break school rules. They seem to have little anxiety
and appear to possess high self-esteem. Students who come from homes characterized by physical
punishment tend to be more likely to exhibit these types of behaviors.
             Victims also tend to exhibit specific characteristics. They are often anxious, insecure,
cautious, and have low self-esteem. Victims tend to be socially isolated, and may lack social skills
and friends. Because they tend to be weaker than their peers, either physically or socially, victims
rarely retaliate against bullies. Students who have close ties with their parents/guardians or who
have overprotective parents/guardians are more likely to be victimized by bullies.

Bullying in schools is a worldwide problem that can have negative consequences for the general
school climate and for the right of students to learn in a safe environment without fear. Bullying can
also have negative lifelong consequences?both for students who bully and for their victims. Although
much of the formal research on bullying has taken place in the Scandinavian countries, Great
Britain, and Japan, the problems associated with bullying have been noted and discussed wherever
formal schooling environments exist.

Bullying is comprised of direct behaviors such as teasing, taunting, threatening, hitting, and stealing
that are initiated by one or more students against a victim. In addition to direct attacks, bullying may
also be more indirect by causing a student to be socially isolated through intentional exclusion. While
boys typically engage in direct bullying methods, girls who bully are more apt to utilize these more
subtle indirect strategies, such as spreading rumors and enforcing social isolation (Ahmad & Smith,
1994; Smith & Sharp, 1994). Whether the bullying is direct or indirect, the key component of bullying
is that the physical or psychological intimidation occurs repeatedly over time to create an ongoing
pattern of harassment and abuse (Batsche & Knoff, 1994; Olweus, 1993).

Extent of the Problem

Various reports and studies have established that approximately 15% of students are either bullied
regularly or are initiators of bullying behavior (Olweus, 1993). Direct bullying seems to increase
through the elementary years, peak in the middle school/junior high school years, and decline during
the high school years. However, while direct physical assault seems to decrease with age, verbal
abuse appears to remain constant. School size, racial composition, and school setting (rural,
suburban, or urban) do not seem to be distinguishing factors in predicting the occurrence of bullying.
Finally, boys engage in bullying behavior and are victims of bullies more frequently than girls
(Batsche & Knoff, 1994; Nolin, Davies, & Chandler, 1995; Olweus, 1993; Whitney & Smith, 1993).

Characteristics of Bullies and Victims

Students who engage in bullying behaviors seem to have a need to feel powerful and in control.
They appear to derive satisfaction from inflicting injury and suffering on others, seem to have little
empathy for their victims, and often defend their actions by saying that their victims provoked them in
some way. Studies indicate that bullies often come from homes where physical punishment is used,
where the children are taught to strike back physically as a way to handle problems, and where
parental involvement and warmth are frequently lacking. Students who regularly display bullying
behaviors are generally defiant or oppositional toward adults, antisocial, and apt to break school
rules. In contrast to prevailing myths, bullies appear to have little anxiety and to possess strong self-
esteem. There is little evidence to support the contention that they victimize others because they feel
bad about themselves (Batsche & Knoff, 1994; Olweus, 1993).

Students who are victims of bullying are typically anxious, insecure, cautious, and suffer from low
self-esteem, rarely defending themselves or retaliating when confronted by students who bully them.
They may lack social skills and friends, and they are often socially isolated. Victims tend to be close
to their parents and may have parents who can be described as overprotective. The major defining
physical characteristic of victims is that they tend to be physically weaker than their peers?other
physical characteristics such as weight, dress, or wearing eyeglasses do not appear to be significant
factors that can be correlated with victimization (Batsche & Knoff, 1994; Olweus, 1993).

Consequences of Bullying
As established by studies in Scandinavian countries, a strong correlation appears to exist between
bullying other students during the school years and experiencing legal or criminal troubles as adults.
In one study, 60% of those characterized as bullies in grades 6-9 had at least one criminal conviction
by age 24 (Olweus, 1993). Chronic bullies seem to maintain their behaviors into adulthood,
negatively influencing their ability to develop and maintain positive relationships (Oliver, Hoover, &
Hazler, 1994).

Victims often fear school and consider school to be an unsafe and unhappy place. As many as 7%
of America's eighth-graders stay home at least once a month because of bullies. The act of being
bullied tends to increase some students' isolation because their peers do not want to lose status by
associating with them or because they do not want to increase the risks of being bullied themselves.
Being bullied leads to depression and low self-esteem, problems that can carry into adulthood
(Olweus, 1993; Batsche & Knoff, 1994).

Perceptions of Bullying
Oliver, Hoover, and Hazler (1994) surveyed students in the Midwest and found that a clear majority
felt that victims were at least partially responsible for bringing the bullying on themselves. Students
surveyed tended to agree that bullying toughened a weak person, and some felt that bullying
"taught" victims appropriate behavior. Charach, Pepler, and Ziegler (1995) found that students
considered victims to be "weak," "nerds," and "afraid to fight back." However, 43% of the students in
this study said that they try to help the victim, 33% said that they should help but do not, and only
24% said that bullying was none of their business.

Parents are often unaware of the bullying problem and talk about it with their children only to a
limited extent (Olweus, 1993). Student surveys reveal that a low percentage of students seem to
believe that adults will help. Students feel that adult intervention is infrequent and ineffective, and
that telling adults will only bring more harassment from bullies. Students report that teachers seldom
or never talk to their classes about bullying (Charach, Pepler, & Ziegler, 1995). School personnel
may view bullying as a harmless right of passage that is best ignored unless verbal and
psychological intimidation crosses the line into physical assault or theft.

Intervention Programs
 Bullying is a problem that occurs in the social environment as a whole. The bullies' aggression
occurs in social contexts in which teachers and parents are generally unaware of the extent of the
problem and other children are either reluctant to get involved or simply do not know how to help
(Charach, Pepler, & Ziegler, 1995). Given this situation, effective interventions must involve the
entire school community rather than focus on the perpetrators and victims alone. Smith and Sharp
(1994) emphasize the need to develop whole-school bullying policies, implement curricular
measures, improve the schoolground environment, and empower students through conflict
resolution, peer counseling, and assertiveness training. Olweus (1993) details an approach that
involves interventions at the school, class, and individual levels. It includes the following
components:

 An initial questionnaire can be distributed to students and adults. The questionnaire helps
both adults and students become aware of the extent of the problem, helps to justify intervention
efforts, and serves as a benchmark to measure the impact of improvements in school climate once
other intervention components are in place.
 A parental awareness campaign can be conducted during parent-teacher conference days,
through parent newsletters, and at PTA meetings. The goal is to increase parental awareness of the
problem, point out the importance of parental involvement for program success, and encourage
parental support of program goals. Questionnaire results are publicized.
 Teachers can work with students at the class level to develop class rules against bullying.
Many programs engage students in a series of formal role-playing exercises and related
assignments that can teach those students directly involved in bullying alternative methods of
interaction. These programs can also show other students how they can assist victims and how
everyone can work together to create a school climate where bullying is not tolerated (Sjostrom &
Stein, 1996).
 Other components of anti-bullying programs include individualized interventions with the
bullies and victims, the implementation of cooperative learning activities to reduce social isolation,
and increasing adult supervision at key times (e.g., recess or lunch). Schools that have implemented
Olweus's program have reported a 50% reduction in bullying.
Conclusion
Bullying is a serious problem that can dramatically affect the ability of students to progress
academically and socially. A comprehensive intervention plan that involves all students, parents, and
school staff is required to ensure that all students can learn in a safe and fear-free environment.