Psychology Today says bullying can have several meanings and different interpretations. To be factual and precise, it is one individual discriminating against peers because of race, gender, sexual orientation, age or physical appearance.
State psychology Professor John Stayer said people who bully others have a need to establish a power relationship in their environments because of past experiences with trauma or feelings of inadequacy.
Stayer said he believes active shooters have gone through problematic developmental stages in their lives and later come to a point when they feel as if they have to establish themselves as potent and powerful human beings.
He said he believes strengthening the family system will help children avoid finding themselves alone in handling events and situations in their lives.
Stayer also said he sees value in having good communications in schools, where services can enable ego-building and actualization of an individual’s talent.
According to Psychology Today, important points include the following:
- Some students who bully others have also been victimized themselves.
- Some students are not victims themselves yet do the bullying.
- Bullying usually starts at a very young age and leaves a child with negative consequences later in their lives.
- Bullying can occur at any age.
- Bullying can occur anywhere by anyone, such as at universities by professors, students, family, friends and colleagues regardless of age).
Students’ voices:
Craig Payne, Communications major, sophomore:
Payne said bullying comes from people going through situations they cannot face. When they do not know how to vent or even talk about their situation, they take what is bothering them to those people who are vulnerable.
He said those people can bring awareness of their problems to family or friends by communicating about what is giving them difficulty.
Carli Berkhouse, Business Administration (emphasis marketing), sophomore:
Berkhouse thinks bullies can acknowledge what they are doing to other people.
She believes the main problem involves insecurity. Bullies act the way they do because they are insecure themselves. She sees advantages to making bullies aware that it’s not good to bully people. Instead, they can to try to find confidence within themselves rather than bring down others.
Katie Beth Lu-Hong Bowens, Communications, freshman
Lu-Hong Bowens believes people can prevent bullying by talking about it and defining what bullying is. Teenagers, she said, often are not aware they are being bullied or are bullies themselves. Individuals who experience verbal or physical abuse from others and those who are bullies must talk about it and know how to stop it.
