Understanding the Long-Term Effects of Bullying on Mental Health
Posted by Improving Lives Counseling Services, Inc. | Children and Adolescent Counseling
Wikipedia defines bullying as: “The use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception of an imbalance of physical or social power. This imbalance distinguishes bullying from conflict. Bullying is a subcategory of aggressive behavior characterized by hostile intent, imbalance of power and repetition over a period of time.”
A loaded definition which highlights what in many states is criminal based solely on the immediate, short, and long-term physical and psychological effects. Children, teens, adults, and seniors can be bullies, or be subjected to bullying. Using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), the counselors, therapists, and clinicians of Improving Lives Counseling Services diagnose and treat bullies and the bullied.
BULLYING
Bullying is a form of harassment. It usually is long-term, includes threats, and makes demands of the victim. It generally takes place in private void any witnesses and can be difficult to prove. Examples of bullying can be seen on television, in movies, on social media sites, and in print. With chat rooms, messaging apps, and texting, bullying can be done anonymously, in clandestine, or be combined with physical acts. Though reported numbers vary greatly, the National Center for Education Statistics reports, 30% to 45% of adults and 12% to 18% of teens report being bullied. However, according to the Boys and Girls Club of America‘s 2023 “Youth Right Now” survey, “40% of students were bullied on school property, and of the 40% who were bullied, 55% never told anyone about it” while 82% of students had been electronically bullied in the past year.
BULLYING HARASSMENT
Harassment typically takes place in public as a way of shaming, humiliating, or crushing the victim. Types of bullying harassment include:
Spreading Rumors: Spreading rumors, usually unverified or false, is the most prevalent way adolescents and teens bully. Face to face gossip, telephone conversations, and handwritten notes remain popular. However, with the introduction of the internet, chat rooms, social media sites, and online apps, they play a major role in spreading rumors or gossip. Rumors can create misunderstandings, damage reputations, provoke aggressive behavior, misconduct, and criminality. Research indicates that victims of rumors may turn to drugs, promiscuity, criminal behavior, or have suicidal thoughts.
Verbal Harassment: Verbal harassment is using language (words) to belittle, demean, or intimidate someone. Name calling, making derogatory statements, making threats of violence, insulting, attacking someone’s abilities, appearance, race, religion, sexual preference, disrespecting, and criticizing are forms of verbal harassment. Verbal harassment can occur in the home, in schools, in the workplace, in cultural, racial, religious, and social gatherings. Victims can suffer physically and psychologically.
Physical Harassment: The United Nations defines physical harassment as uninvited or inappropriate touching, patting, hugging, deliberately brushing up against someone, punching, hitting, pushing, slapping, kicking, or biting another person. “Harassment can encompass physical, verbal, and emotional actions, while abuse is generally understood to be a physical act.” Physical harassment can happen in the home, in school, in colleges and universities (hazing). Though there is no nationwide consensus on hazing, many schools report behavior that causes emotional anguish, physical discomfort, confusion, frustration, and undue stress is harassment hazing. Physical harassment includes experiences of betrayal that can invalidate feelings of trust and of belonging.
Sexual Harassment: Sexual harassment is inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature including, but not limited to, unwelcome advances, requests for sexual favors, physical conduct of a sexual nature, verbal sexual intimidation, or sexual hostility. Jokes, propositions, touching, groping, displaying sexual images, making sexual gestures, and sending unsolicited sexual messages or images is sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment / bullying creates a hostile or intimidating environment. In housing, it includes demands for sex or sexual acts as a condition for buying, renting, or continuing to rent a home. Among adolescents and teens, sexual harassment can take various forms, including all the types outlined here as well as cyber harassment —sending sexually explicit messages or images through social media, texting, or other online platforms. Sexual harassment of students is illegal. Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, federal law prohibits discrimination based on sex, including sexual harassment in education programs and activities.
Other Forms of Harassment: Intentional exclusion from peer groups and making threats in person or using technology can be an implicit form of harassment. Ignoring someone (the silent treatment), verbally excluding someone, and intentionally leaving someone out (cliquish behavior) are all forms of harassment.
MENTAL EFFECTS OF BULLYING / HARASSMENT
Bullying is a risk factor that is linked to suicidal ideation and attempts among school-age children and teenagers. Victims of bullying / harassment suffer an eroding of self-confidence, the fear of ostracism, feelings of unworthiness, anxiety, and stress. They can fear social gatherings and environments, find it difficult to connect with people or form relationships, and find it hard to trust – isolating themselves from family and friends. Victims of bullying can feel frustrated and angry, find it difficult to concentrate in school, or in the workplace and display symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The National Library Of Medicine reports: “In some cases, bullying can lead to suicide. In others, victims will experience major emotional disturbances that develop over time. A study found that the risks of suicidal thoughts and behaviors were higher among everyone involved, including bullies, and victims. Bystanders are also affected psychologically by witnessing acts of bullying and mistreatment.”
BULLY PERSONALITY TYPE
Studies show bullies are aggressive. Many are insecure and lack empathy, believing violence is an appropriate way to interact. Bullies often feel “less than” needing to defend themselves, to display strength, and be in control. Science Direct reports, “Machiavellianism, narcissism, and subclinical psychopathy, the so-called “dark triad” of personality, have been associated with bullying.”
Bullies enjoy aggressive acts, have authoritarian role models, and must dominate others. Because they have no empathy, they have no guilt. They feel the world owes them and should meet their every need. The bully is charismatic, deceptively portraying himself as kind and caring. Many bullies act on impulse, engaging in harmful behavior without considering the consequences.
A person is never too young, or too old, to become a bully. Often influenced by social and environmental factors, bullies need to feel secure and to control their lives and the lives of those around them. Many have no control in their homes – feeling unseen, or unheard, they use bullying to establish themselves as “somebody”. Other triggers include low self-esteem, peer pressure, learned behavior, and undiagnosed behavioral disorders.
SUMMARY
There is no age limit on becoming a bully. The mental health toll on both bullies and their victims can start in childhood and persist in adulthood and even senior years. Individuals such as the new kid in school, a homeless youth, a developmentally delayed adolescent, a LGBTQ+ teen, as well as seniors moving into assisted living, newlyweds, new parents, or college graduates striving to prove themselves on their first day at work — can all find opportunities to harass or bully others.
The counselors, therapists, and clinicians at Improving Lives Counseling Services understand the personality types of both bullies and their victims. They create treatment plans tailored to the specific needs of each client. If left untreated, both bullies and their victims may become depressed, develop behavioral disorders, resort to substance abuse, or engage in criminal activities. Protect the mental health of those you care about the most. Look for the symptoms and do something. Help them live the life they were meant to live. Call us.
