Cyberbullying: Two Causes And Consequences Of Bullying

Defining the issue:

Bullying refers to the repeated occurrences of terrorizing and frightening victims through physical or psychological harm. There are two types of bullying; physical and cyber. Physical bullying includes physically injuring or verbally putting down the victims to forcefully carry out tasks for the bully such as doing their school work. In physical bullying there is a lack of power, the bullies are bigger and stronger compared to the defenseless victims. In contrast, cyberbullying takes place in a digital environment and does not include face to face confrontations. The bully harasses the victim through the internet and social media websites.

There are two main types of victims; the passive victims, and the reactive victims.

Bullying leaves the victims with life-long physical and psychological scars. “Victims report greater fear and anxiety, feel less accepted, suffer from more health problems, and score lower on measures of academic achievement and self-esteem than students who are not bullied” (Kuther, 2003). Victims take the rage of being bullied out on themselves because they feel like they can’t talk to anyone and don’t have enough courage to stand up against the bully. This results in the victims developing mental health problems like anxiety, depression, and suicide. Bullying also negatively impacts the bully. Without proper help, “bullies suffer stunted emotional growth and fail to develop empathy” (Kuther, 2003). With repeated acts of bullying, the bully will not learn to properly control their emotions. Learning to control emotions is essential and not being able to do so can lead to being unsuccessful in the future as an adult. Bullies accomplish their tasks by manipulating others and this can result in the failure to form real relationships with others. This can affect the bully in a work environment, as they will have a hard time forming relationships with their coworkers and boss. Additionally, this will present problems when trying to form an intimate relationship with a lover. Furthermore, bullies have a greater likelihood of getting in trouble with the law, and showing aggression toward their spouses and