Table of contents:
- What is bullying?
- What are the types of bullying?
- 1. Physical harassment
- 2. Psychological, relational or social harassment
- 3. Harassment by teachers to students
- 4. ciberbullying or ciberacoso
- Consequences of bullying
- How to prevent bullying?
In Spain bullying is a latent problem, there are thousands of cases and few are documented due to poor performance, lack of information or inadequate training. It is a problem that damages human rights: education, health, adequate standard of living… and affects minors and adolescents, of whom we must care to protect from any violence and discrimination. In this Psychology-Online article we will address the main questions around this phenomenon: What is it? What are the main types of bullying and its consequences for the minor? How can we prevent it?
You may also be interested in: Case of bullying or bullying Index- What is bullying?
- What are the types of bullying?
- Consequences of bullying
- How to prevent bullying?
What is bullying?
Before addressing the definition of bullying, the distinction between violence and bullying , that is, between violence and harassment, should be made clear. When acts towards the minor occur "sometime", it is usually classified as abuse or violence, while if they occur repeatedly, with some frequency, we would speak of bullying or bullying.
The most widely used definition is that of the author Dan Olweus, who was the first to address the subject: "Bullying is a conduct of physical and / or psychological persecution carried out by one student against another, whom he chooses as a victim of repeated attacks. " The continuity of these attacks is key to defining and understanding the suffering and consequences of bullying in the victim that we will see later and who feels completely defenseless and unable to solve what is happening.
To better understand the concept, it is also worth mentioning the actors involved in bullying:
- Victims: there are different types, according to Olweus: “The typical ones, among which are the most anxious and insecure students who tend to be cautious, sensitive and calm; they have low self-esteem, they have a negative opinion of themselves and their situation; and they are often viewed as failures feeling stupid and ashamed. These types of victims have been called passive or submissive and will not respond to attack or insult. Another type of victim are provocateurs who are characterized by a combination of patterns of anxiety and aggressive reaction. These students often have trouble concentrating and behave in ways that cause irritation and tension around them. Some of them may be hyperactive. "
- Aggressors or stalkers: there are also different types, the typical ones are usually those characterized by their bellicosity and impulsiveness as well as a need for dominance towards others, they are often insecure.
- Bystanders: all those colleagues who do not participate in intimidation and aggression directly and who generally do not take the initiative but passively support the aggressor.
What are the types of bullying?
There are different types of bullying according to the perspectives and studies of different authors, in this article we will mention four to provide more comprehensive information on the matter:
- Physical harassment
- Psychological, relational or social harassment
- Harassment by teachers to students
- The cyberbullying or cyberstalking
1. Physical harassment
Direct aggressive behaviors towards the person or their belongings: attacking, pushing, material damage, theft of money, breaking clothing, biting, spitting…
2. Psychological, relational or social harassment
Acts that turn the individual into a victim or / and produce isolation from the social group, damaging the interpersonal relationships of the person, ignoring, humiliating, devaluing, not allowing them to participate in group activities… It can be done both directly by the aggressor and indirectly when this makes the viewers who carry it out. The objective of all this is to reduce the self-esteem of the victim, promoting the feeling of insecurity and fear, which is why verbal behaviors such as insults, threats…
3. Harassment by teachers to students
According to the author Cabezas, there is a form of harassment referred to teachers, those authority figures who often sustain behaviors related to harassment and go through simply an exercise of their power given their position. The author refers that some teachers abuse for various reasons their position of authority "targeting" students in a visible way, either through disapproval, punishment, lies…
4. ciberbullying or ciberacoso
One of the new forms of bullying identified is cyberbullying, defined as the use of some communication and information technologies through which the victim of bullying is deliberately humiliated or / and harmed in a hostile way. Insults and threats are transferred to the internet, the identity of the victim often being made public on social networks or mobile phones are used to record some insults or attacks and spread them. Here you can see the causes, consequences and types of cyberbullying.
Consequences of bullying
The victim of bullying can suffer a wide variety of symptoms and consequences derived from the assault. Generally, the problems fall within anxiety disorders: school or social phobia, panic attacks, appetite and sleep disorders that can end up leading to post-traumatic stress disorder. Feeling of helplessness, low self-esteem, mistrust in others, social withdrawal and depressive pictures that in the worst case could lead to suicide.
Somatic diseases are also common as well as poor school performance, changes in attitude, habits and character, feelings of guilt, revenge and stigmatization, threatening or attacking other children and more violent attitudes towards everyone. Also included are those physical injuries that in some cases may appear to have been committed by the aggressor.
How to prevent bullying?
Bullying should be treated as a serious global problem where, in addition, it must be understood that all participants have problems to solve. In the first place, it is essential to train parents to educate their children with affection and limits as well as to spend time with their children, to be concerned and interested in their lives. Make them learn that respect is necessary as well as communication and avoid violence at all costs. Infants should grow up having good self-esteem and knowing that no one other than him should be discriminated against. In the following article you will find How to improve social skills in boys and girls.
In many cases it happens that the situation is intervened late, leaving damage difficult to repair in the victim. This should be avoided at all costs, both by teachers and colleagues, families and professionals. We must stop thinking that many behaviors are "boyish things" or that "this has always happened" and try not to minimize or maximize things, but to see them from a balanced and rigorous perspective to prevent the situation or intervene in time.
There is a need for a holistic approach that considers various areas and leads to improving interpersonal and community relationships as well as the detection of early risk factors. Many times in schools they limit themselves to labeling children as aggressive early on without paying attention to the causes that underlie these behaviors, you have to act and find out what happens to the child in order to help them. In general, the joint collaboration of parents, teachers and therapists is important for these situations and for their prevention. In this article you can read How to work on emotions in boys and girls.
On the other hand, in terms of policies, the latest Amnesty International report emphasizes that: "In recent years, central and regional authorities have adopted legislative and administrative measures in relation to bullying, many of which have been received to the satisfaction of educators. However, not all have been implemented, the mechanisms for reporting and monitoring are insufficient and, in practice, the existing protocols do not adequately address all forms of bullying. "
In March 2017, after consulting with the autonomous communities and the educational community, the Spanish government presented the Strategic Plan for School Coexistence. This, however, includes some measures that have not yet been implemented - such as a training plan for teachers on the subject, for example - and that it is important to carry out. In this last year, 2019, the helpline for bullying situations received 12,799 calls, of which 5,557 were identified as possible cases of bullying. The figure has fallen from previous years, but there is still a lot of work to be done, especially considering that not all cases are detected.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Types of bullying and its consequences, we recommend that you enter our category of Socialization problems.
Bibliography- International Amnesty. (2019). Do the sight… fat !: School bullying in Spain, a human rights issue. Retrieved from:
- Armero, P. & Bernardino, B. & Bonet, C. (2011). School bullying. Journal of Primary Care Pediatrics, XIII (52), 661-70.
- Castillo, L. (2011). School bullying. From the causes, origin and manifestations to the question about the meaning given by the actors. Magis. International Journal of Research in Education, 4 (8), 415-428.
- Collell, J. & Escudé, C. (2006). School bullying: a psychopathological approach. Yearbook of Clinical and Health Psychology (2), 9-14.
- Enríquez, MF & Garzón, F. (2015). School bullying. Knowledge, science and freedom, 10 (1), 219-233.