Bullying Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Bullying - Research Paper Example Bullying is the act of intimidating or influencing someone who is weak in terms of strength, status or experience. According to Harris, Ireland and Forsyth, bullying is a way for the powerful to suppress the weaklings or just express their dominance over them (Harris 302, Ireland 80 & Forsyth 225). What leads to this attitude of the bullies’ and their underlying need to be accepted as superior is a different debate altogether. Bullying is considered as an everyday part of the society, but this does not mean that it should be accepted as a norm by the society. The society and the stakeholders need to counter this issue since those who are victims as well as bullies fall in the age bracket of those categorized as children and are considered as the most important section. The research question that this study sorts to address in this research is â€Å"whether childhood bullying impacts the adult life of the bully as well as the victim?† The hypothesis of the present study is that â€Å"bullying negatively impacts the childhood as well as the adult life of a bully as well as victim†. ... Psychological studies suggest that some children resort to bullying to overcome their fear of non-acceptance (Kostelnik 382). Copeland conducted a research to find out the effects of bullying on adult life and for this, they took a sample of 1420 young people and researched them at two age points 6-11 years and 24-26 years (Copeland 423). The group was classified into the bullies and victims and a third group of people that fell into both the categories, changing from the victim to a bully in adolescent, bully victims. After a comprehensive study, it was revealed that the bullies fared fairly well in their adult life as compared to the victims. The victims were researched to be six times more vulnerable to psychiatric disorders and other health problems as compared to people not involved in bullying or being bullied. Social Development of Bully and Victim In childhood, the effects of being bullied at school, neighborhood or elsewhere can be detected very easily. According to Maudlin, the characteristics of victims of bullying may or may not include â€Å"anxious, insecure, cautious, low self-esteem, defenseless, lower number of friends, experiencing social isolation and relatively newer to a particular school† (Maudlin 31). Since a child is too scared generally to discuss such an experience at the fear of being mocked or victimized again, this becomes an innate experience that eats up the child from the inside. He tends to feels oppressed and low most of the time which results in his retreating nature. The bully, however, is bound to have a dominating nature and a rowdy personality. His lack of regard for other’s feelings is a symptom of his bullying. As the child enters adolescent age, with