CHILDREN WHO BULLY

"In contrast to popular notion that bullies lack social skills, research has shown that bullies are actually quite adept at reading social cues using these skills prosocially, such as to empathize with others, they instead use them to identify and prey on peer vulnerabilities.                        All data point in the same direction...that bullies have no problem with self-esteem" Dan Olweus


MYTHS ABOUT THE BULLY
  • Children who bully are loners. 
  • Children who bully have low self-esteem


Research indicate that children and youth who bully have average or above average self esteem, have many friends, have an easy time making friends, may even be "popular", and usually have at least a small group of friends who support or encourage their bullying.


 

CHACTERISTICS OF THE BULLY

  • Have a need to feel powerful and in control
  • Gain satisfaction from inflicting suffering on others
  • Display little empathy and compassion for others
  • Defend their actions by blaming the victim
  • Are generally defiant towards adults
  • Have strong self-esteem
 



FAMILY RISK FACTORS
  • A lack of warmth and involvement on the part of the parents
  • Overyly-permissive parenting, including lack of limits for children's behavior
  • A lack of supervision by parents
  • Harsh, physcal discipline
  • A model for bullying behavior




BULLY FACTS
PREVALENCE IN SCHOOLS

●Bullying occurs most frequently in sixth through eighth grade, with little variation between urban, suburban, town, and rural areas; suburban youth were 2-3 percent less likely to bully others. (April 24, 2001 (National Institutes of Health)
●Males were both more likely to bully others and more likely to be victims of bullying than were females. In addition, males were more likely to say they had been bullied physically (being hit, slapped, or pushed); while females more frequently said they were bullied verbally and psychologically (through sexual comments or rumors). (April 24, 2001 (National Institutes of Health)
●Almost 30% of kids surveyed reported some type of involvement in moderate or frequent bullying, as a bully, a target of bullying, or both. (Bullying Behaviors among US Youth, Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001)
●74% of 8 - to 11-year-old students said teasing and bullying occur at their schools. (Talking With Kids about Tough Issues: A National Survey of Parents and Kids, Kaiser Family Foundation and Nickelodeon, 2001)
●Over 16% of U.S. school children said they had been bullied by other students during the current term, according to a survey funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
Effects of Bullying on Victims and Bullies
●Those who bully and are bullied appear to be at greatest risk of experiencing the following: loneliness; trouble making friends; lack of success in school; and involvement in problem behaviors such as smoking and drinking. (Addressing the Problem of Juvenile Bullying, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2001)
●10,000 children stayed home from school at least once a month because they feared bullies, and half the children surveyed said they were bullied once a week. (2001 survey by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
●60% of boys characterized as bullies in grades 6-9 had at least one conviction by age 24 (Olweus 1989).
Bullying & School Violence
●Teenagers say revenge is the strongest motivation for school shootings
o — 87% said shootings are motivated by a desire to "get back at those who have hurt them."
o — 86% said, "other kids picking on them, making fun of them or bullying them" causes teenagers to turn to lethal violence in the schools.  (US Bureau of Justice Statistics)