Bullying

Bullying is a serious problem across the United States. It is one that has been studied vigorously in hopes to solve the problem. Since the shooting at Columbine in 1999, schools all across the country have been developing new strategies to deal with the epidemic. This paper will look into the history and laws of bullying and identify social psychological issues in bullying, individual and law enforcement challenges that will be faced, and ways to improve the issue of bullying at a social and criminal justice standpoint.

Bullying is not a new issue within the United States. It has been around as long as people have, but the problem has become more relevant since the shooting at Columbine in 1999. “From 1999-2010 there were more than 120 bills enacted by state legislatures nationally that have either introduced or amended education or criminal statutes to address bullying and related behaviors in schools” (Stuart-Cassel, Bell & Springer, 2011, p.xi). The shooting was an eye-opener for schools across the nation. It prompted immediate changes in legislation and has continued to be a working issue. Research has indicated that bullying becomes a persistent problem when students enter middle school and higher (Kueny & Zirkel, 2012, p.22). When students start to see differences between themselves and others is when bullying starts to arise.

The history of bullying is not a happy one. There have been many school shootings and adolescent suicides that have occurred because of bullying. These events have made school board members and legislature work together to create a way to deal with the problem. The majority of states have laws that have expectations for districts, and allow them to develop their own polices; as long as they incorporate reporting, investigating, consequences, training, and support for victims into their policies (Stuart-Cassel et. al., 2011, p.30). The biggest problem with bullying is that it is always changing. No school has the same bullying problems as others. This is what makes coming up with, and researching the bullying epidemic a challenge.

One of the more challenging aspects of bullying is understanding the social-psychological problems that can arise. When dealing with the issue of bullying, one must understand how the children process the causes of bullying. Bullying impacts both the victim and the bully in a social and psychological way. “According to the labeling theory, deviance is in the eye of the beholder; there is nothing inherently deviant in any particular behavior until some powerful group or group members define a behavior as deviant” (Thornberg, 2010, p.12). Most research shows that students believe either the bully or the victim is behaving in some deviant way. This poses a social stigma on both individuals involved.

The theory of social representations is one that provides a deeper understanding of how schoolchildren look at the causes of bullying. Thornberg (2010), found seven social representations on bullying causes that students used to explain why bullying happened; the top three were: bullying as a reaction to deviance, bullying as social positioning, and bullying as the work of a disturbed bully (p.5). When school districts are developing new policies these reasons for bullying would be extremely useful. Solutions for bullying need to be looked at in terms of social interactionism. The act of bullying needs to be looked at as a social act, or joint action, otherwise the solutions will not end with positive results (Thornberg, 2010, p.13). The social and psychological problems revolving around bullying leads to challenges at both an individual and a law enforcement level.

Bullying involves more than two people and should be handled as so. The act itself does not typically happen in isolation. There are usually bystanders who are witnesses to the bullying. For schoolchildren, stepping up and stopping the bullying is a scary idea. However, parents, teachers, law enforcement, and any adult that is present need to intervene when possible. “Lack of intervention implies that bullying is acceptable and can be performed without fear of consequences” (Pepler & Craig, 2000, p.8). This can be a challenge for some people. Knowing when to step in can be a problem for some individuals. Some teachers or parents may not even know that bullying is going on, and therefore cannot intervene and give out consequences.

Another challenge faced at an individual level is learning how to deal with bullying. Both bullies and victims experience mental health challenges because of the effects of bullying. According to Pepler & Craig (2000), bullies can face challenges of aggression, delinquency, and internalized problems; while victims are faced with the challenges of anxiety, withdrawn behavior, and internalizing problems (p.8). Both the bully and the victim may have problems in the future with coping, and internal issues. This is another reason why schools and law enforcement are trying to put an end to bullying.

The biggest challenge associated with bullying is finding a way to prevent it. Law officials have the challenge of coming up with a new legislature that focuses on bullying solutions. However, because no single school is the same as another, one law is not good enough for every school. Pepler & Craig (2000), have suggested solutions including consistent revision of all bullying policies and strategies (p.13). Although this is a good way to keep the problem of bullying at bay, it is also very time-consuming. When faced with the challenges of bully prevention student awareness is most important. Talking with students and finding out their perspectives on the issue will help teachers and school officials devise policies that will work at their schools.

After reviewing the research, there are some statements that are more agreeable than others. I agree with the statement, “students who initiate bullying will be at a higher risk of developing criminal behavior as compared to other young adults” (Thornberg, 2010, p.2). This is because I believe that the younger a person is when they start acting out in deviant ways, the more likely it is that they will continue down a deviant path. Those who do not act out as bullies are less likely to follow that path. The second statement I agree with is, “anti-bullying practices should not be confined to focusing on bullies and victims in identified cases of bullying, but it should be far more holistic by working with all students…” (Thornberg, 2010, p.14). Bullying impacts more than just the bully and the victim, and I think all students and teachers should be involved in anti-bullying practices. The final statement I agree with is, “nature of bullying and victimization changes with age and differs by gender” (Pepler & Craig, 2000, p.4). I think it is important to understand that bullying is not the same and changes often. There were also statements in the research that I did not agree with.

The research on bullying is mostly agreeable. However, there are some statements that I found it hard to agree with. The first one was, “Peers are drawn into bullying interactions by arousal and excitement of aggression” (Pepler & Craig, 2000, p.9). I do not agree with this statement because I don’t think the majority of peers get the excitement about bullying. I think if they do join it, it is more because they do not want to be bullied themselves, or are trying to be part of the dominant group. The second statement I did not agree with was the following, “they do not see the consequences of their behavior and they do not realize that they are actually bullying” (Thornberg, 2010, p.9). This is referring to one of the causes of bullying. I disagree because at the age of 12 you understand the difference between right and wrong, and being nice or being mean. Even with disagreeing with some aspects of the research, I am able to make suggestions on how individuals should address the issue of bullying.

It is not always easy to address an issue like bullying. There are a lot of different social elements involved. One suggestion is to address the issue immediately. As an adult, if you have any suspicion that bullying is going on, it should be addressed at that time. Stopping the act will regain the power to the adult, and make the children understand that they are in the wrong. The second suggestion would be to talk to students individually. Set up a time where the teachers or counselors talk with each student about bullying. If they are one-on-on with an adult they are more likely to speak up about the issue, rather than if their attacker is in the same area as them.

When considering what those in the criminal justice system should do to address the issue, it is vital to know what the schools are doing. One suggestion for law enforcement is to have meetings with the school board, so they are on the same page about the problem. That way, they can be aware of any incidences that have occurred, or revisions in policy. A second suggestion is to have police officers hold bully awareness presentations at all middle schools. This is where bullying begins, and where they need to put an immediate stop to the behavior. Police are more likely to scare younger children than teachers.

In conclusion, the history of bullying has had a major impact on the laws that are in place today. The majority of states hold the power in the hands of the district when coming up with bullying policies at the school level. This is because bullying is not an agreed-upon term, but rather an action that can be many different things. Bullying leads to many different social psychological issues and affects more individuals than just the bully and the victim. This can lead to many challenges for teachers, parents, school districts, and law enforcement. However, there is hope in the future of bullying. With continued research, it is possible to overcome the challenges adults face when trying to prevent school-age bullying. All in all, with continuous revisions of bullying policies and support, schools will be better prepared to handle any situation that comes up.

References

Kueny, M. T., & Zirkel, P. A. (2012). An analysis of school anti-bullying laws in the united states. Middle School Journal, 43(4), 22-31.

Pepler, D. J., & Craig, W. (2000). Making a difference in bullying. Department of Psychology, Retrieved from http://psycserver.psyc.queensu.ca/craigw/Craig_Pepler_2000_REPORT_Making_a_Difference_in_Bullying.pdf

Stuart - Casse, V. ,. M. P. P. A., Bell, A., & Springer, J. F. ,. Ph. D. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development Policy and Program Studies Service. (2011). Analysis of state bullying laws a nd policies. Folsom, CA: EMT Associates, Inc.

Thornberg, R. (2010). Schoolchildren's social representations on bullying causes. Psychology in the schools, 47(4), 311 - 327. Retrieved from http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:319622/FULLTEXT01.pdf