Victims of bullies are typically anxious, insecure, and 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 or appear to be physically weaker than their peers. Consequences of Bullying As established by studies conducted in Scandinavian countries, a strong correlation appears to exist between engaging in bullying as a child and experiencing legal or criminal troubles as an adult.
Victims often fear school and consider it to be an unsafe and unhappy place.
As many as seven percent of America's eighth graders stay home at least once a month because of bullies. Victimization tends to increase some students' isolation because their peers do not want to lose status by associating with them or do not want to increase the risk of being bullied themselves. Perceptions of Bullying A number of studies reveal interesting information regarding how students perceive the causes and outcomes of bullying and how they react to bullying around them. Student surveys reveal that only a small 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.