Bullying Research Paper
For this paper we were required to write a five paragraph essay based on a teen issue. For my paper on bullying, I had to write about what bullying is, how it occurs and why, and the effects it had on teens, both the victims and bullies. At the end of the project, I received a C-...... not my finest moment..... I got my paper back and realized just how bad my spelling is and that that is something I definitely need to work on. After my revisions I raised my grade two letters and ended that projet with an A-, much better.
FOrever high school
Lizzy was a normal high school girl; the only problems within her life were some of her more challenging classes at school, whether or not her clothes were stylish enough, and boys, boys, boys! But that all changed when her father’s car crashed into the Johnstons’s bumper. As his head connected with the steering wheel, Lizzy became known as the daughter of a drunkard and her future seem set for to become an alcoholic herself as a way to escape her emotional pain. The verbal assaults from her peers would come in waves, changing her blessed life to that of the lonely girl, who is forced to sit in the bathroom by herself for lunch. She believed that no one cared, at least not like they once did. It was only after she decided to leave this world to join her father, that her peers noticed the damage they had done. But, by that time, she was gone and they could not take back their vicious words. Lizzy is only one of thousands of teens who are tortured by bullies. Bullying is defined as one person constantly harassing another over a long period of time. Though bullying is not considered one of the most pressing issues and is often disregarded as a faze that all teens go through, it is proven that the depression and anxiety felt by a bullied teen, can follow them throughout life and into their early thirties. In order to save young people from their tormenting peers, students need to be educated about the causes of bullying and how it effects one another. If not, depression will continue to plague teens and the adults they become in the future.
Because there are many causes for bullying across the United States, bullies appear in a myriad of different places and ways. However, social status rules and insecurities are two of the most common reasons bullies give for why they feel obliged to hurt others. For instance, “Bullies pick on the people they think don’t fit in, maybe because of how they look, how they act (for example kids who are shy and withdrawn), their race or religion, or because bullies think their targets may be gay or lesbian.” (“Dealing with Bullying”). This quote shows many of the possible reasons why one person might bully another. When an insecure teen finds someone different or unique in an uncommon way, he or she may feel it wrong for that teen to be different. As a result a bullying teen tries to find a way to squash the individuality of their targeted peer, so that their opponent’s social status goes down and, in some cases, the bully’s rises. These very specific standards within the teen society make it very hard to for teens who are different be themselves. Some teens come to realize these rules and, despite the pain they already feel about themselves, decide the best way to escape their insecurities is to inflict their hurt on someone else. Therefore, another cause of bullying is when students tend to feel the need to pass their insecure feelings for themselves, on to someone else. “Typically, we think of these kids as kind of having difficulty, socially, to begin with, in school. And that may be one of the reasons that they get picked on. And they see the only way to kind of escape this, to escape getting picked on and to have some sort of social status, is to lash out on others” (Copeland). This fact illustrates how bullying behaviour is often transferred from one victim to the next. Some young adults have their social status ripped away from them because their insecurities are cruelly exploited. This causes victimized teens to lash out at others so that these “bully victims” feel better about their insecurities, knowing that they are not the only ones who have them. Social status and insecurities are just two of the many reasons teen bullying occurs so frequently in the United States today.
Some of the many effects of teen bullying include depression and anxiety, but most people do not know that the negative self image caused by bullying can also follow the victims throughout their life. Depression and anxiety are a common effects of bullying. For example, “There are a number of effects that come with teenage bullying... However emotional, verbal and cyber bullying can deeply affect teens as well. These activities can lead to depression (and even suicide), drug use and stunted social development” (“Teenage Bullying.”). This provides some of the problems experienced by victims during bullying. The negative effects bullying has on teens is not to be taken lightly, especially when young adults can become so distraught, that killing themselves seems like their only option. Although many teens today suffer with depression and thoughts of suicide, there is a possibility that they can push through that saddening stage in their lives. However, if a teen is being bullied by their peers at school, it can be impossible for the teen to move on from the effects that the bullying is creating for them. For instance, “Victims, you know, really had these long-term emotional problems, particularly with anxiety but then this small group of bullied victims had depression, suicidality, anxiety. And this is over ten years after we kind of first started studying them in childhood” (Copeland). This information states that the victims of bullying, can still have anxiety and depression well after their teenage years. Now not only are the youth of today being tortured presently by bullying, but the effects can continue to haunt them in future as well. The bullying that occurs in schools not only effects the teens, but many of the working adults who society looks to for a variety of important tasks. Even though depression and anxiety are two disorders frequently found in teens, they can also appear in the adults.
There are many known solutions to help reduce teen bullying issues, but two of the most effective are influencing the participation of schools in creating anti-bullying cultures and teaching the victims and bystanders how to stand up for their rights. School faculties need to pay more attention to bullying as well as take more action when bullying is occurring. For example, “It is important to have teachers and other adult authorities present when possible to discourage bullying behavior” (“Teenage Bullying.”). This quote explains that the staff in schools can have an effect on curbing bullying behavior in teens. If a teacher lets a bully hassle a student right in front of them, without reprimanding the offending student or at very least, pointing out the wrong in the situation, the bully will believe that there is no problem with what they are doing and continue to hassle the victim. In addition, the school’s staff needs to teach their students about the problems brought up by teen bullying in order to find the solutions. However, teachers are not the only ones who need to bring up the problems within bullying situations. Victims, as well as the students who stand by and watch bullying in its process, need to be taught to report the situation to an adult so that the problems can be resolved. For instance, “Most people hesitate to speak out because it can be hard. It takes confidence to stand up to a bully — especially if he or she is one of the established group leaders. But chances are the other students witnessing the bullying behavior feel as uncomfortable as you do. They may just not be speaking up. Perhaps they feel that they're not popular enough to take a stand or worry that they're vulnerable and the bully will turn on them. Staying quiet (even though they don't like the bully's behavior) is a way to distance themselves from the person who is the target” (“Dealing with Bullying”). Mentioned within this passage is the explanation as to why, teens are so timid when it comes to standing up to bullies. They do not realize that, whether they are socially inferior or the most popular person in school, they can make a difference when they protest a situation they do not like. If these young adults stand up for what is right, they can reduce the bullying population and create a new culture within the school, initially solving their, and many other’s, problems. Staff and students within their schools must point out the “wrong” in bullying situations for them to finally be resolved.
Unless others inform teens about the effects bullying has on other people, not only will depression spread amongst the adolescents in schools, but it will continue to plague adults that society will soon depend on in the future. Teenage bullying is caused by the cold hearted social status placed in schools and the insecurities brought out within the victims. The effects of bullying are just as saddening, making content teens fall into deep depression, as well as the adults, who thought that they had escaped from their former lives. The staff and students within each individual school, need work together to promote the education of bullying. Otherwise, it will continue to be a problem that will never truly be solved. If these solutions are not taken into serious consideration, society will have to live with the problems caused by teenage bullying for a very long time.
Because there are many causes for bullying across the United States, bullies appear in a myriad of different places and ways. However, social status rules and insecurities are two of the most common reasons bullies give for why they feel obliged to hurt others. For instance, “Bullies pick on the people they think don’t fit in, maybe because of how they look, how they act (for example kids who are shy and withdrawn), their race or religion, or because bullies think their targets may be gay or lesbian.” (“Dealing with Bullying”). This quote shows many of the possible reasons why one person might bully another. When an insecure teen finds someone different or unique in an uncommon way, he or she may feel it wrong for that teen to be different. As a result a bullying teen tries to find a way to squash the individuality of their targeted peer, so that their opponent’s social status goes down and, in some cases, the bully’s rises. These very specific standards within the teen society make it very hard to for teens who are different be themselves. Some teens come to realize these rules and, despite the pain they already feel about themselves, decide the best way to escape their insecurities is to inflict their hurt on someone else. Therefore, another cause of bullying is when students tend to feel the need to pass their insecure feelings for themselves, on to someone else. “Typically, we think of these kids as kind of having difficulty, socially, to begin with, in school. And that may be one of the reasons that they get picked on. And they see the only way to kind of escape this, to escape getting picked on and to have some sort of social status, is to lash out on others” (Copeland). This fact illustrates how bullying behaviour is often transferred from one victim to the next. Some young adults have their social status ripped away from them because their insecurities are cruelly exploited. This causes victimized teens to lash out at others so that these “bully victims” feel better about their insecurities, knowing that they are not the only ones who have them. Social status and insecurities are just two of the many reasons teen bullying occurs so frequently in the United States today.
Some of the many effects of teen bullying include depression and anxiety, but most people do not know that the negative self image caused by bullying can also follow the victims throughout their life. Depression and anxiety are a common effects of bullying. For example, “There are a number of effects that come with teenage bullying... However emotional, verbal and cyber bullying can deeply affect teens as well. These activities can lead to depression (and even suicide), drug use and stunted social development” (“Teenage Bullying.”). This provides some of the problems experienced by victims during bullying. The negative effects bullying has on teens is not to be taken lightly, especially when young adults can become so distraught, that killing themselves seems like their only option. Although many teens today suffer with depression and thoughts of suicide, there is a possibility that they can push through that saddening stage in their lives. However, if a teen is being bullied by their peers at school, it can be impossible for the teen to move on from the effects that the bullying is creating for them. For instance, “Victims, you know, really had these long-term emotional problems, particularly with anxiety but then this small group of bullied victims had depression, suicidality, anxiety. And this is over ten years after we kind of first started studying them in childhood” (Copeland). This information states that the victims of bullying, can still have anxiety and depression well after their teenage years. Now not only are the youth of today being tortured presently by bullying, but the effects can continue to haunt them in future as well. The bullying that occurs in schools not only effects the teens, but many of the working adults who society looks to for a variety of important tasks. Even though depression and anxiety are two disorders frequently found in teens, they can also appear in the adults.
There are many known solutions to help reduce teen bullying issues, but two of the most effective are influencing the participation of schools in creating anti-bullying cultures and teaching the victims and bystanders how to stand up for their rights. School faculties need to pay more attention to bullying as well as take more action when bullying is occurring. For example, “It is important to have teachers and other adult authorities present when possible to discourage bullying behavior” (“Teenage Bullying.”). This quote explains that the staff in schools can have an effect on curbing bullying behavior in teens. If a teacher lets a bully hassle a student right in front of them, without reprimanding the offending student or at very least, pointing out the wrong in the situation, the bully will believe that there is no problem with what they are doing and continue to hassle the victim. In addition, the school’s staff needs to teach their students about the problems brought up by teen bullying in order to find the solutions. However, teachers are not the only ones who need to bring up the problems within bullying situations. Victims, as well as the students who stand by and watch bullying in its process, need to be taught to report the situation to an adult so that the problems can be resolved. For instance, “Most people hesitate to speak out because it can be hard. It takes confidence to stand up to a bully — especially if he or she is one of the established group leaders. But chances are the other students witnessing the bullying behavior feel as uncomfortable as you do. They may just not be speaking up. Perhaps they feel that they're not popular enough to take a stand or worry that they're vulnerable and the bully will turn on them. Staying quiet (even though they don't like the bully's behavior) is a way to distance themselves from the person who is the target” (“Dealing with Bullying”). Mentioned within this passage is the explanation as to why, teens are so timid when it comes to standing up to bullies. They do not realize that, whether they are socially inferior or the most popular person in school, they can make a difference when they protest a situation they do not like. If these young adults stand up for what is right, they can reduce the bullying population and create a new culture within the school, initially solving their, and many other’s, problems. Staff and students within their schools must point out the “wrong” in bullying situations for them to finally be resolved.
Unless others inform teens about the effects bullying has on other people, not only will depression spread amongst the adolescents in schools, but it will continue to plague adults that society will soon depend on in the future. Teenage bullying is caused by the cold hearted social status placed in schools and the insecurities brought out within the victims. The effects of bullying are just as saddening, making content teens fall into deep depression, as well as the adults, who thought that they had escaped from their former lives. The staff and students within each individual school, need work together to promote the education of bullying. Otherwise, it will continue to be a problem that will never truly be solved. If these solutions are not taken into serious consideration, society will have to live with the problems caused by teenage bullying for a very long time.