Bardia Hassanalizadeh

What causes bullying, what are some good and bad solutions?
Introduction
Bullying is not a conflict in-between two people, but an exploitation of an individual by another.
As stated by the Merriam Webster dictionary, “Bullying is the use of force, threat,
or coercion to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively dominate others.” Ideally, school should be a safe
learning environment for children of different ages and talents. Children should never have to fear that
they are going to be physically attacked, or scrutinized when at school. However, bully free schools are an
ideal that will never be achieved. Bullies are intricate, and although it seems that they are aimlessly
centered on ruining the lively hood of others, many of them have stories that explain their cruelty. By
understanding what entices the bully, the victim can more easily come to a resolve.

What entices bullies?

Bullying occurs under a precondition where there is an imbalance of power. The bully exploits
this imbalance to distract him/herself from personal problems. These internal woes may entice the bully
to take out their anger on those that are perceived as socially weaker than him/herself. Interestingly,
although many believe that bullies have low self-esteem, bullying is rarely the result of an individual that
is perceived by others as having less social power that is trying to boost their own self-confidence. As
stated by nobullying.com, “many believe that bullies have low self-confidence, however, a study from
UCLA contradicts this common misconception.” The study showed that bullies have very high self-
esteem. High self- esteem is often a product of social popularity. The UCLA study also explains that bullies
are often more socially popular than their victims. By relating high self-esteem with a higher social status,
this study by UCLA further supports the argument that bullies are often those with more social power.
Many bullies are angry with an aspect of their lives, and attack others as a platform to make themselves
feel better. For example, a bully that is dealing with family problems may attack someone else to take out
the anger that is brought from home. This scenario exposes another potential cause of bullying, family
influence. Bullies may mimic the behavior that they observe from their parents or other family members.
Furthermore, some bullies may be enticed by their peers, who may pressure them into taking actions
that he/she may not have otherwise taken. Regardless of the cause, bullying is a harmful act that parents
and teachers need to learn how to better stand up to.

Solutions bad
There is no singular treatment for the effects of bullying. Parents may find the large variety of
recommended solutions confusing. However, all the different solutions are different pathways to the
desired outcome, were the victim and bully come to a resolution. Parents must make sure that their
children do not take rash actions that may only escalate the problem. Children should refrain from
insulting, or physically attacking their bullies. Some adults believe that schools should expel bullies.
However, this is not fair because bullying is an act that is enticed by external, and personal factors, and
does not describe the bullies character. For example, a boy that is bullied may take out his anger on
someone else. He does deserve to be expelled, but as is the case with all instances of bullying, the cause
of his actions need to be addressed.

Solutions good
Every case of bullying has its own unique solution. The best way to stop bullying is to prevent it
by educating children on the terrible effects bullying has on others. By making children recognize that
bullying is wrong, they will be quicker to stand up against a bully in favor of the victim. Another way to
prevent bullying would be to provide counselling to troubled kids before they act out to harm others. As
previously stated, many bullies deal with personal issues, such as feeling angry at an aspect of their own
lives. By addressing these problems, councillors can control the anger, and prevent bullying. The parents
of both parties should set an appointment to discuss resolutions for the conflict in between their
children. However, many children believe that bringing their parents could broaden the scope of the
conflict. As mentioned previously, many bullies use bullying as a platform for making themselves look
Bardia Hassanalizadeh

and/or feel better. Therefore, by ignoring the bully and denying him/her the attention they seek from
their actions, children may be able to stop the bullying before they are forced to consult an adult.
However, ignoring the issue is not always effective, and children should not refrain from asking for
support if they feel that it is necessary, because not doing so may force them into taking irrational
actions, such as physical confrontation, that will only act to escalate the problem.

Conclusion
Bullying has always been a problem, but it has come to the spotlight in recent years because the
consequences are shared on social media platforms. Now that bullying has become a globally recognized
issue, it is everyone’s responsibility to act. What can you do to stop bullying? Firstly, individuals should
always treat everyone with the respect, and kindness that they deserve. Second, all bullies should be
reported, and all victims deserve to have someone to seek help from. Bullying will never be eradicated,
but by supporting local victims, educating ourselves on bullying, and getting to understand the motives
behind the aggressor’s actions, we can make it more bearable. With the proper education, resources, and
support, we can stop victims from being harmed by helping bullies with their personal, and external
issues.

Sources MLA8:
“Common Causes of Bullying.” NoBullying - Bullying & CyberBullying Resources, 20 Aug.
2016, nobullying.com/common-causes-of-bullying/.

“What Are the Causes of Bullying.” NoBullying - Bullying & CyberBullying Resources, 18 Apr.
2017, nobullying.com/what-are-the-causes-of-bullying/.

“How Not To Deal With Bullies.” Teaching Tolerance, 2 July 2017,

www.tolerance.org/magazine/how-not-to-deal-with-bullies.