Table of Contents
Purpose Of The Study
The purpose of this study was to see the result of bullying on students’ self-esteem. Students all around the world square measure laid low with bullying every day. Bullying gravely affects students, not solely physically, however mentally also. Some keep one’s distance from faculty because of concern of verbal abuse. Bullying lowers person’s self-esteem. It has long term and short effects. The study conceptualizes self-esteem as an individual’s overall subjective emotional evaluation of his or her own worth.
Introduction
Bullying could be a social development that has seen in colleges, schools, and work across the globe. This can be associate degree unwanted aggressive behavior of somebody towards the opposite one. Bullying behavior involves the perceived power imbalance that has been found harmful on the targeted person and this can be frequent aggressive behavior that’s less favorable for the victims. This damage is often seen in the style of physical, verbal, psychological, mental, social and academic damage.
The aggressive behavior additionally denotes the bullying behavior which will be continual on the victim. Bullying has been received an excellent deal of attention that highlights the consequences of bullying on students’ vanity.
Bullying exists altogether communities since while. Bullying exists either in developed or developing societies. Bullying starts in early age. Bullying is taken into account a standard style of violence in colleges. Varied studies indicated that bullying makes colleges to be unsafe places for colleges’ students and it contributes to the belief that some schools square measure becomes not safe any longer.
Bullying in school affects tutorial action since afraid youngsters feel worried and weak and within the same time, it affects students’ temperament traits and certainty. So such a scenario makes students unable to follow or to listen for his or her study well and even they may don’t wish to visit the college. Students with low vanity but, have a blurred self-concept, assume poorly of themselves, usually choose surrealistic goals or withdraw from goals altogether, tend to be bearish concerning the longer term, keep in mind their past additional negatively and wallow in their negative moods.
Bullying will cause youngsters to expertise worry, depression, loneliness, anxiety, low vanity, physical sickness, and in some cases, even unsafe thoughts.
Part of this struggle is directly related to low self-esteem. A lack of self-esteem is a direct result of the mean and hurtful things that other kids say about them. Bullying victims also tend to experience a wide range of emotions. They may feel angry, bitter, vulnerable, helpless, frustrated, lonely, and isolated from their peers. Consequently, they may skip classes and resort to drugs and alcohol to numb their pain.
Literature Review
Bullying is a form of aggression in which there is an imbalance of power between the bully and the victim that occurs largely in the context of the peer group (Mishna, 2003).
Bullying is identified as one of the most prominent problems faced by children in the education system, as well as one of the most significant health risks (Raskauskas & Modell, 2011).
The majority of bullying research has focused on physical forms of abuse with fewer studies conducted investigating nonphysical types of bullying (Bosworth, Espelage, & Simon, 1999; Clark & Kiselica, 1997; Crick, Bigbee, & Howe, 1996; Olweus, 1994; as cited in Casey-Cannon, Hayward, & Gowen, 2001). Physical forms of bullying include hitting, kicking, pushing, and shoving. Non-physical bullying is a very real problem for children as well.
Scores of researchers (e.g., Neary & Joseph, 1994; Matsui, et al, 1996; O’Moore & Kirkham, 2000; Rigby & Slee, 1993; Salmon & James, 1998) have established that victims of bullying are afflicted with significantly lower levels of low self-esteem than those children who are never bullied.
The association between bullying in childhood and low self-esteem in adulthood is a consistent finding. Bullying affects the “immediate experience” of the child as well as the individual’s long-term adjustment causing victims to have problems later in life including difficulties with role confusion in adult relationships (Casey-Cannon, Hayward & Gowen, 2001; Gilmarten, 1987 in Hoover, et al, 1992; Lines, 1999; Olweus, 1993; Boivin, Hymel, & Hodges, 2001 &Limber, Flerx, Nation, & Melton, 1998 as cited in Harris & Petrie, 2002).
They tend to be physically smaller and weaker than other children their age and have ineffective social skills or poor interpersonal skills. They will often internalize and blame themselves for any issues that arise (Ross, 2002, p. 115).
Individuals’ sense of their own self-worth is often bound up in the quality of their relationships with others so that signs of rejection can threaten self-esteem (Leary & Baumeister, 2000). This study, therefore, aimed to explore and describe the possible long-term effects that chronic bullying at school has on the victims’ self-esteem.
There is considerable evidence now that continued or severe bullying can contribute to immediate problems such as depression, sleeping difficulties, low concentration in problem-solving and long-term problems such as permanent anxiety and low self-esteem (Turkel, 1990).
Gilmarten (1987) contends that these individuals who are “systematically denied peer support” may suffer from low self-esteem (Hoover, et al., 1992).
The construct “trait self-esteem” refers to the way people generally feel about themselves (Heatherton & Polivy, 1991) and is relatively stable over time. For many years it was thought that having low trait self-esteem could explain aggression in youths (see e.g. California Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility, 1990; Oats & Forrest, 1985).
The relationship of bullied victims and low levels of self-esteem is clear. This is apparent in Houbre et al.’s (2006) report which implied a lack of self-worth in victims who were seemingly displeased with their physical appearance. This negative self-evaluation may cause victims to isolate themselves from the public, and this could result in mental health issues. Hence, it is significant to identify the connection between bullying and how it leads to low self-esteem in victims.
Methodology
Have conducted interview from 5 students. Each of the respondents have similar answers to my questions.
Interview Questions
- Do you think that bullying causes low self-esteem?
- Do you think that bullying creates fear among students? How?
- What are the effects of bullying in students life?
- How we can stop bullying?
Respondent #1
Yes it does, because it demotivates you. You can lose confidence and it can affect your mental and physical health.
Bullying someone will affect their performance. Low self-esteem will not make up their mind because of insecurity and they will not express their feelings.
The quality of student-teacher relationship has been documented a strong positive impact on student’s behavior while on the other side, conflictual student teacher relationships. Peer relationship has the capability to influence student’s aggressive behaviors. Students who experience rejection or being bullied by peers usually show more aggressive behaviors.
Encourage and aware specially kids and students to speak about bullying if they are bullied or see others being bullied. The adult can give comfort, support, and advice, even if they can’t solve the problem directly. Encourage the child to report if it happens.
Respondent #2:
Yes I think just because most of the time when we indulge in the type of harassed or in being bullied situation our self-esteem becomes low due to not having enough self-confidence or we are not able to accept such type of situation. So we start feeling bad for our self and as self-esteem represent how you respect yourself.
Yes just because the student start feeling disgraced and dishonored. When you indulge in fear too much so you experience negative situation and intense emotion of self-loathing that can lead you to disown.
Most of the time it effects that much that student can experience negative physical and mental health issues like to experience depression and state of anxiety and increased feeling of sadness and loneliness.
To stop bullying parents and teacher should help kids understand bullying. Keep lines of communication open. Create a good relationship with the child as they can easily communicate and share their feeling. Encourage students to do what they love.
Respondent #3:
Yes due to bullying a person lose their self-confidence. They may suffer low self-esteem, fewer friends, school absences and even suicidal ideation.
Bullying has a negative effect on the social environment of school times, creates a climate of fear among students, inhibits the ability to learn, and leads to other antisocial behavior. Other detrimental effects of bullying include an encroachment on school safety, student engagement, and the overall school environment.
It effects student life they become mentally disturb and they are not concentrated in anything. In this way it affects student’s brain. They become weaker day by day.
Encourage them to speak with a trusted adult. The adult should give comfort support. Model them how to treat others with kindness and respect.
Respondent #4:
Bullying causes low self-esteem because they don’t think highly of themselves. Their self-esteem becomes low due to not having enough self-confidence.
Yes bullying creates fear among students because the student starts feeling adequate and undesirable.
Depression and anxiety, increased feeling of sadness and loneliness and they lose interest in activities in which they used to enjoy.
Show empathy and positivity like make them feel safe and respected.
Respondent #5:
Yes it does cause low self-esteem because when you bully someone you rob them from having a normal life. She was bullied as a kid it took her 7 years to get her self-esteem back. So she never got chance to be a teenager.
Yes it does create fear because the people who bully other are insecure for them it’s an enjoyment but the victims develop a fear to try out new things. And if bully keep on saying to victims that you are not good enough then after sometime he starts to believe that he is not good enough which creates fear for them.
They live in fear and some do overcome it and are strong but mostly people fear if they show what they can do people will judge, they feel inferior compared to others and they could not focus on their education.
You can stop bullying by raise your voice and stopping it there when it happens if some gets bullied. They should be no bully policies, they should spread awareness.
Critical Analysis
After conducting interview I analyze that 5 out of 5 respondents have similar answers. One student said that she has been bullied for like 7 years and I observed that it really lower down your self-esteem they start having hassle at school and withdraw from friends and activities. But some overcome and start new life but mostly suffer from depression, anxiety and they lose their self-confidence. Bully enjoys this kind of action but victim suffer from mental and physical health. They feel insecurity and not express their feelings. Victims who experience rejection or being bullied usually show more aggressive behavior.
Conclusion
Bullying negatively affects the students who are being victimized. Children who are intimidated will suffer from low self-worth and alternative emotional issues. The victims of bullies’ typically loose self-esteem, start having hassle at school, and withdraw from friends and activities. If it’s not stopped and continues for long enough, kids will suffer these issues permanently bullying shouldn’t be taken gently because it will cause serious issues.
We can stop bullying by raising your voice against the bully. They should spread awareness about bullying. Adult can give comfort support and advise if they cannot solve the problem directly and keep lines of communication open. In this way a student can overcome bullying and we can stop bullying by spreading awareness in school colleges and making such strict rules which the bully think twice before bullying someone. In end I want to say that victim should ignore this kind of action and should focus on their life.