Bullying is the act of an individual or a group of individuals harassing others with the motive of gaining power or control over them. Bullying can take various forms; starting from physical harassment, verbal aggression, psychological aggression and showing mean gestures towards another person. It is mostly practiced in schools where the targets are mainly boys who appear weak physically. The false belief that the society uses in trying to justify and defend bullying is that; it is a rite of passage among the youths as they grow up (Olweus, 2005).
Bullying is dispayed among many students due to peer pressure. This may be due to personal life and persMany students display characteristics of bullying as a result of peer pressure, their personal life experience back aonal life experience. More so, it may be due to interaction in homes, social media and schools. Bully students will mostly display strong and “unstoppable” desire for power as they enjoy seeing themselves in control as well as subduing other students. The family experience may also contribute in one becoming a bully, especially when he/she develops a sense of hostility against the environment and it is the feeling that will make him/her seek comfort and satisfaction in inflicting pain on those next to him/her. Bullies benefit from their actions by forcefully obtaining material support from their victims like beer, cigarettes as well as money.
It is evident that bullying has been fostered in schools by teachers. In school set up especially among new students, bullying has been considered a rite of passage which has to be experienced by the new student. They possibly see nothing wrong when a student bullies another student and they do little in intervening in the situation. They believe that, it is through bullying that the students learn how to join, fit and survive in the new environment.
The victims of school bullying are mainly young boys who are shy, withdrawn and insecure and also exhibit low self-esteem. They are mainly physically weak or perceived to be weak by aggressors. They are also perceived as having been overprotected by either their siblings or their parents thus failing to defend themselves. The wrong impression that is created by victims attracts bullies as they believe that victims cannot retaliate after being harassed.
Bullying is a vice that makes a victim feel neglected and unwanted by society. To be safe in school is a fundamental right of every school-going child (Olweus, 2005). Therefore, teachers should be properly trained to respond to bullying in schools. They should be informed on the ways of spotting those students who exhibit bullying characteristics and then counsel them accordingly in order to create a good environment in school without bullies. Teachers should also encourage social interactions among students to make them appreciate and take care of one another. If possible, they should also come up with rules prohibiting bullying of students. Parents also should be informed to take necessary steps in instilling discipline among their children. They should be advised on how to identify cruel behavior among their children and correct them by offering appropriate advice to their children to stop them from becoming bullies.
Bullying is an inhuman act and it is clear that there is no viable reason why it should be allowed in the institutions. Such behavior should be stopped by all means and this will ensure full concentration of students on their studies.