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##  Bullying. ERIC/CASS Digest.                                                  

Introduction @According to some estimates, 160,000 children skip                school each day because of intimidation by their peers.  The                    National Center for Educational Statistics reports that 77 percent              of middle and high school students in small mid-western towns have              been bullied.  And a newly released study from the National                     Institutes of Health published in the Journal of the American                   Medical Association reveals that almost a third of 6th to 10th                  graders -- 5.7 million children nationwide -- have experienced some             kind of bullying (Nansel et al., 2001).  Bullying has been a                    persistent problem that, with the heightened attention to school                violence, has only recently been recognized as a pervasive issue                needing immediate focus. WHAT IS BULLYING?Bullying has been               defined in many ways.  It can be defined as a specific type of                  aggression in which (1) the behavior is intended to harm or                     disturb, (2) the behavior occurs repeatedly over time, and (3) there            is an imbalance of power, with a more powerful person or group                  attacking a less powerful one (Mayo Clinic, 2001).  Delwyn Tattum               and Eva Tattum (1992) proposed the following definition: "Bullying"             is the willful, conscious desire to hurt another and put him/her                under stress."  Dan Olweus, noted bullying researcher, defines                  bullying as exposing a person repeatedly, and over time, to negative            actions on the part of one or more students (Olweus, 1993).  These              definitions all convey the message that bullying is something that              someone repeatedly does or says to gain power and dominance over                another, including any action or implied action, such as threats,               intended to cause fear and distress.  The behavior has to be                    repeated on more than one occasion and the definition must include              evidence that those involved intended or felt fear. 
Bullying can              take the form of name calling, put-downs, saying or writing                     inappropriate things about a person, deliberately excluding                     individuals from activities, not talking to a person, threatening a             person with bodily harm, taking or damaging a person's things,                  hitting or kicking a person, making a person do things he/she does              not want to do, taunting, teasing and coercion. Bullying can be                 physical, verbal, psychological, or a combination of these                      three. TYPES OF BULLYINGTwo types of bullies are addressed in             the literature: aggressive bullies and passive bullies.  An                     aggressive bully is seen as an individual who is belligerent,                   fearless, coercive, confident, tough, and impulsive. This type of               behavior typically comes from individuals who have a low tolerance              for frustration coupled with a stronger inclination toward violence             than that of children in general. 
Passive bullies are also                    referred to as anxious bullies. They rarely provoke others or take              the initiative in a bullying incident. Passive bullies are usually              associated with aggressive bullies and, hence, often take the                   less-aggressive role.  As groups, the aggressive bully will                     instigate the bullying situation while the passive bully supports               his/her behavior and/or begins to actively participate once the                 bullying begins.  The passive bully aligns with the more powerful               and, relatively speaking, more popular, action-oriented aggressive              bully, earning the passive bully the descriptors of "camp follower"             and "hanger-on." WHERE DOES MOST BULLYING OCCUR?Some                      researchers have suggested that twice as many children are bullied              in the school environment than in any other location. According to              the National Center for Educational Statistics, "bullying appears to            take place more in middle or junior high schools than in high                   schools" (Nolin et al., 1995). 
It has been suggested that bullying            could be greatly reduced if teachers provided better supervision of             students during free play, recess, the noon hour, or on the school              bus.  Teachers also need to be present in the hallway during class              changes and during restroom breaks.  Many schools have failed to                address the problem and many ignore bullying when it is observed.               Not only are students bullies but teachers have also been identified            as bullies.  Many teachers see bullying as a normal, natural part of            growing up and are therefore indifferent when they see it                       occur. RACIAL BULLYINGEthnic minority children are at risk for            racial bullying.  Rather than being a part of the student body as a             whole, they often cluster together in smaller groups similar to                 their own culture.  Name calling is one of the common techniques                utilized in racial bullying. Individual taunts, such as fatty,                  carrot top, and four-eyes, are directed toward the child but taunts             are also directed to his/her family as well as his/her ethnic                   group.  Racial bullying often begins in the preschool years and is              transmitted intentionally from parents to children.  The community              attitude exerts a pervasive influence and may knowingly, or                     unknowingly, exhibit racist tendencies.  Communities that address               the problem up front are more likely to create an atmosphere where              people of all ethnic and minority groups feel welcome. SEXUAL                 HARASSMENTSexual harassment is any unwelcome sexual behavior                that interferes with an individual's life.  It can be viewed as                 unwelcome sexual advances, a demand for sexual favors, touching in a            sexual way or accusations of homosexuality and lesbianism. 
Schools            are currently responsible for protecting students from harassment               based on sex.  The U.S. Office for Civil Rights publishes the legal             principles "requiring educational institutions that receive federal             funds to take steps reasonably calculated to stop harassment when it            occurs and prevent recurrence" (Office for Civil Rights,                        2001). HOW DO CHILDREN BECOME BULLIES?The literature addresses            three areas as to the possible reasons a child becomes a bully:                 child rearing influences, characteristics of the child and factors              of the environment (Ahmad & Smith, 1994; Batsche & Knoff, 1994;                 Smith & Sharp, 1994). 
Child Rearing Influences 
The child may not            have received warmth and caring from the mother: there may have been            a failure to bond with the parents or the child may not have felt               loved.  Many parents fail to set limits for their children's                    behavior and the parents may have used assertive disciplinary                   methods where control and coercion were a part of the discipline.               There are also indications that inconsistent discipline on the part             of the parents can produce a bully.  If a parent exhibits aggressive            behavior and if the child is encouraged to assert him/herself in                socially unacceptable ways, the child may become a                              bully. 
Characteristics of the Child 
There are no distinct                   characteristics of a child who bullies.  Boys tend to be more                   aggressive and more overactive and hyperactive than girls. 
The                following characteristics are associated with predicting children               with a high level of difficult behaviors: 
* difficulties adapting             to new situations; 
* irregular eating and sleeping habits; 
*                negative moods, strong moods; and 
* unpredictable                             behavior. 
Factors of the Environment 
American homes and schools             do not provide negative consequences for bullies and society sees               bullying as transient or inconsequential.  In fact, on television               and in movies bullies often go unchecked and are sometimes                      rewarded.  For boys, bullying is seen as "standing up for himself"              or as "all boy."  In the school environment, bullying is often                  unnoticed or ignored and supervision in the schools are many times              inadequate.  Crowded conditions, such as on school playgrounds,                 encourage bullying. Bystanders who admire the exploits of bullies               serve as models for others. WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT                            BULLYING?Schools that wish to address this problem have a                   variety of avenues to pursue.  The school can introduce a code of               conduct which is a whole-school disciplinary policy with a clearly              spelled out set of rules and regulations that should make it                    possible for all school personnel to work together safely and                   productively.  It should state clearly, with examples, what is good             and bad behavior along with respective rewards and sanctions. 
The             school needs to establish a whole-school approach to bullying by                establishing an awareness of the bullying problem.  The school needs            to evaluate how friendly it is toward bullying.  Awareness of                   bullying both within and outside of the school can help reduce the              act.  Also, increased school safety features, such as video                     monitoring, can provide more protection to students. 
Students                 should be encouraged to report incidents of bullying by promising               the students anonymity.  The school should develop a student watch              program by training student volunteers to patrol and report                     instances of bullying.  In the classroom teachers may use stories               and drama to increase awareness of bullying and bully courts can be             set up for addressing bullying issues.  The school should provide               training for students in problem-solving approaches, which include              conflict resolution training, conflict management and quality                   circles.  All of these can be positive ways of addressing                       inappropriate behavior.  These activities make the school safer and             let students know that bullying is a violation of children's                    rights. INTERVENTION PROGRAMSA number of intervention programs            are available for schools to utilize.  The development of a                     whole-school bullying policy might be one of the first steps in                 addressing the problem.  Improvement of the school environment by               having the playground, corridors, and restrooms supervised by                   teaching personnel might be another priority.  To further address               the problem, empower students by offering training in conflict                  resolution programs, peer help and assertiveness                                training. CONCLUSIONBullying is a destructive social problem              that needs attention. Schools have the responsibility to create safe            places for students where they can grow without fear.  Greater                  awareness of the issue and a community-wide focus on prevention can             begin to secure that our schools are safer environments. ERIC                 RESOURCES:ERIC/CASS Virtual Library on Bullying in Schools.                 ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling & Student Services (ERIC/CASS)                 http://ericcass.uncg.edu/virtuallib/bullying/bullyingbook.html 
ERIC           Parent Brochure: What Should Parents and Teachers Know About                    Bullying?  This brochure characterizes bullies and their victims,               offers advice on how schools and parents can prevent bullying and               intervene when it becomes a problem, and suggests sources for                   further information.                                                            http://www.eric.ed.gov/resources/parent/bullying.html 
ERIC Digest:            Bullying in Schools (1997)                                                      http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed407154.html 
ERIC                   Digest: Easing the Teasing: How Parents Can Help Their                          Children (1999)                                                                 http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed431555.html                          REFERENCESAhmad, Y., & Smith, P. K. (1994). Bullying in                   schools and the issues of sex differences. In John Archer (Ed), Male            violence. London: Routledge. 
Askew, S. (1989). Aggressive behavior            in boys: To what extent is it institutionalized? In D. P. Tattum &              D. A. Lane (Eds.), Bullying in schools (pp. 59-71). Hanley,                     Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books. 
Batsche, G. M., & Knoff, H.                   M. (1994). Bullies and their victims: Understanding a pervasive                 problem in the schools. School Psychology Review 23(2),                         165-74. 
Mayo Clinic. (2001). "Headline Watch: One-third of U.S.               kids affected by bullying." Mayo Foundation for Medical Education               and Research (MFMER).                                                           http://www.mayoclinic.com/findinformation/conditioncenters/invo                 ke.cfm?objectid=09C423AB-1A81-448D-B9730315E83291E4 
Nansel, T.R.,             Overpeck, M.,  Pilla, R.S.,  Ruan, W.J., Simons-Morton, S., &                   Scheidt, S.  (2001).  Bully behaviors among US youth: Prevalence and            association with psychosocial adjustment. Journal of the American               Medical Association, 285, 2094-2100. 
Nolin, M. J., Davies, E., &              Chandler, K. (1995). Student victimization at school: Statistics in             brief. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. ED             388 439. 
Office for Civil Rights. (2001). "Resources for                      Addressing Sexual Harassment." U.S. Department of Education.                    http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCR/sexharassresources.html 
Olweus,                 D. (1993). Bullying at school: What we know and what we can do.                 Cambridge, MA: Blackwell. ED 384 437. 
Smith, P. K., & Sharp,                  S. (Eds.). (1994). School bullying: insights and perspectives.                  London: Routledge. ED 387 223. 
Tattum, D and Tattum, E. (1992)                Social Education and Personal Development. London,: David                       Fulton. 
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Doris Rhea Coy is a counselor educator at the                 University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. 
ERIC Digests are in               the public domain and may be freely reproduced and                              disseminated. 
This publication was funded by the U.S. Department              of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement,                   Contract No. ED-99-CO-0014. Opinions expressed in this report do not            necessarily reflect the positions of the U.S. Department of                     Education, OERI, or ERIC/CASS.                                               **Title:** Bullying. ERIC/CASS Digest.                                                  **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Counseling and Student Services Clearinghouse, University of               North Carolina at Greensboro, 201 Ferguson Building, P.O. Box 26171,            Greensboro, NC 27402-6171. Tel: 336-334-4114; Tel:                              800-414-9769 (Toll Free); Fax: 336-334-4116; Web site:                          http://ericcass.uncg.edu; e-mail: [email protected].                         **Descriptors:**  Bullying, Child Rearing, Conflict Resolution, Educational                      Environment,  Elementary School Students, Elementary Secondary                  Education, Influences,  Peer Relationship, Prevention, Racial                   Discrimination, School Counseling, School Safety,  Secondary School             Students, Sexual Harassment, Violence                                        **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests                                                                 
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