A common misconception about bullying at schools is that the bully is fat, ugly and very unhappy. In days gone by, victims were encouraged to pity the bully who must be acting from a point of weakness and insecurity. Research today dispels this myth. Not only are bullies not necessarily ugly or unhappy, they are frequently happy and popular. It seems that aggressive youths may be more leniently assessed by their parents, teachers and peers and therefore their popularity does not decrease as a result of their hostile behaviour.
One theory is that society tends to assign positive qualities to attractive people and negative ones to those who do not fit the beauty mould. Wendy Craig, professor of psychology at Queens University in Ontario says this may explain why visible minorities are at a higher risk for bullying. She also recommends that “we need to look at the leaders in our schools and ensure that their way to power is positive”.
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Practically speaking, this means that we need to realise that often the most powerful and popular kids are the bullies who misuse their personal power. As parents and educators we need to steer them so they use their enormous influence and power for the good. One way is to encourage them to join groups like boy scouts which teach leadership skill or community volunteer services which help others. We also need to be aware that the victims needs extra protection as they are having to face bullies with friends.
Obviously, bullying is a serious and complex issue but this study gives added information on what goes on in schools. What is your experience with bullying? What do you think of this article?
