Bullying. We have come across this word many a times, some of us might have even experienced it. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), bullying is defined as, “a form of aggressive behaviour in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort.”
Bullying can either be physical or emotional. Physical bullying comprises of stealing, slapping, pushing, kicking, and damaging possession of someone. Emotional bullying includes name-calling, making insulting remarks (on religion, caste, appearance, etc), spreading rumours, making fun of social and economic status and more. In this digital era, where students are given access to the internet, a new type of bullying has been discovered, known as cyberbullying. It consists of bullying through emails, social media sites (like Instagram), and text messages.
Now let me explain the effects of this act. When a person is being bullied especially in a very young age it can be very traumatic and can have long term effects. Especially if a person was bullied for their appearances, it can lead to the individual growing up with a low self-esteem. Having low esteem as a child or an adult can make a person introverted, underconfident and can even lead to self-harm. When a student is bullied, it can affect their school life, some of which are lack of interest in studies, feeling lonely and sad, having no friends and more.
So why does the student endure this pain, why can’t they report bullying? There are many reasons for this behaviour. The worst one among all is thinking that they deserve to get bullied because of the way they “think” they are. Other reasons can be shame, fear, thinking that they are powerless or not having someone to talk to. Bullying can be prevented in schools and colleges by having a counsellor exclusively for students, so that they can approach and talk about the issues that they are facing. Another way is to create awareness about the issue and how it has harmful effects. The students can be also asked to fill an anti-bullying form, which might give them a sense of responsibility for their actions.
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