Bullying Part 1: Common Misconceptions About Bullying

There are many common misconceptions about bullying, for example, Thinking that bullying is a normal part of childhood and the victims should just toughen up. Thinking this way can have serious consequences for both victims and bullies. Bullying should not be tolerated and letting a bully continue picking on others just reinforces their behavior and sets them up to continue making poor choices for the rest of their lives. Bullying victims can also suffer from low self esteem, depression, and a poor self image.

Another bullying misconception is that bullies have low self esteem. In fact, many bullies are popular and are very confident. Bullies are not always the unconfident kids trying to make up for their problems like people once assumed. Bullying may actually be a way that kids try to dominate others and assert their power. Children who bully often act in conjunction with their friends and use bullying as a way to fit in with them and impress their fiends, albeit in the wrong way.

Many people also have the bullying misconception that bullying occurs only in lower class neighborhoods and schools. This is not the case, and plenty of bullying cases occur in high class neighborhoods and schools. Many upper-class schools have bullying problems for the same reasons as lower-class ones, namely children feel as though they are better than others and try to show how much power they have over children they perceive as weaker than them.

The bullying misconception that only boys engage in bullying is also wrong. While boys do bully more than girls, girls can also be bullies. Bullying among boys is often physical where girls tend to use emotional bullying by saying mean things and spreading rumors to humiliate people. Both types of bullying can have devastating effects on bullying victims and leave them with self esteem problems and a lifetime of insecurity.

Another bullying misconception is that bullying most commonly occurs in high school rather than in younger children. Studies have shown that bullying occurs at all ages but the most common ages are in middle school, not high school and elementary. Children from 9-13 years old are the most likely ages to bully. Children in this age group are just beginning to face stress academically and the pressure to fit in socially, so bullying becomes a common way cope with these problems.

There are many bullying misconceptions and by first understanding how it starts, we can help to stop and prevent it.

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