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Bullying Characterized as one being exposed to repeatedly over a period of time negative acts towards them. These negative acts could be put into the physical category or emotional category. One can use words or physical actions against the victim to harass them. These acts are done intentionally by the person delivering them. The victim has little to no defense against the bully. The bully is usually always in control of the situation while the victim is helpless. There are different types of bullying and it differs with age. Bullying could include acts such as verbal and physical threats, teasing, and name calling. Roberts, J., Walter, B., Coursol, Diane, H. Strategies for intervention with childhood and adolescent victims of bullying, teasing, and intimidation in school settings. (1996). Elementary Schol & Guidance Counseling, Vol. 30.

There are also different types of bullies. A bully can be aggressive or passive. Aggressive bullies are said to be the most common. People that fall into this category tend to be strong, coercive, confident, impulsive, and hot-tempered. They live for the thrill of dominating others and being in control. They can be considered control freaks in the sense that they always need to be in control of the situation, they do not like feeling demoted or helpless. This type of bully is mostly seen in the early school years and not so much in the later ones. Passive bullies are the people that aren't as popular or confident as the aggressive bullies. They have a low self esteem and are insecure about themselves. They make fun of people in order to help feel better about themselves. Passive bullies are also not ones to initiate an act of bullying, but rather wait for one to be instigated by an aggressive bully. Definitions/Characteristics of Bullying. Kansas Safe Schools Resource Center. Retrieved from: http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3913

Characteristics of Victims and Targets Bullies usually target a subgroup of people, not just random peers. The victims of bullying are usually more on the quiet and reserved side. They are often insecure and cautious more so than their surrounding peers. They have a negative view of themselves, thinking that they are stupid or unattractive. Victims of bullies are more often than not left with not a single friend, making them loners. They also are much less likely to retaliate when bullied and just take the blows. These kids are usually less physically strong than their bullies, making it harder for them to stand up for themselves. Roberts, J., Walter, B., Coursol, Diane, H. Strategies for intervention with childhood and adolescent victims of bullying, teasing, and intimidation in school settings. (1996). Elementary Schol & Guidance Counseling, Vol. 30.

Victims are also likely to experience side effects such as depression, lashing out, suicide, weapon carrying, and even school shootings. The side effects of bullying can also follow them through adulthood, giving them psychological and physical problems in their years to come. Victims showed signs of depression and anxiety after being bullied, which was most prevalent for girls. It was also found that children involved with bullying are likely to have family problems including problems of attachment to their parents. Wang, H., Zhou, X., Lu, C., Deng, X., Hong, L., Gao, X., He, Y. Adolescent bullying involvement and psychosocial aspects of family and school life: A cross-sectional study from Guangdong province in china. (2012). Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology.

When children experience intimate partner violence in their home, they are more often than not likely to either be bullies or victims of bullying. Witnessing violence at home is said to put a damper on development for children. These symptoms can include aggression, low self-esteem, social rejection, problems with school, and low social competence. Konus-Westfall, H. M., Ehrensaft, M. K., Macdonnel, K. W., Cohen, P. Parental intimate partner violence, parenting practices, and adolescent peer bullying: A prospective study. (2011). J Child Fam Stud (2012) 21:754-766.

There are different types of victims just as there are different types of bullies. Passive victims are children that do not instigate or provoke any type of bullying on themselves. They are quiet, withdrawn, and sometimes seem anxious. Passive victims do not have many friends and they are alone most of the time. They have trouble making friends and are nervous when entering a situation out of their comfort zone. These characteristics make them an easy target for bullies, knowing that they will not stand up for themselves. Perpetual victims are those who have been bullied all their lives. They may bring it upon themselves, or they may not. Provocative victims are the victims that bring it upon themselves. They behave in ways that provoke the bullies to act negatively towards them. They are the ones that act in ways to aggravate people such as disrupting the class and inducing irritability on their peers. This also gives bullies a reason to act negatively towards them because of the fact that they are annoying. Definitions/Characteristics of Bullying. Kansas Safe Schools Resource Center. Retrieved from: http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3913

Bullying in other Countries: China Not only is bullying a common problem in the United States, it is also a growing problem in other countries such as China. Bullying in other countries is very similar to the bullying done here in the United States. It is all for similar reasons and the bullies have the same motives. Bullying isn't rate in Chine and it is found throughout schools and also family. It is a growing concern and problem in China that needs to be addressed. One study found that 68% of the middle school students surveyed has been bullied at least once the school year before. It was also found that older boys and girls are more likely to bully people than are younger kids. It was also found that victimization correlated strongly with suicidal attempts. Some of the bullying was so bad that children had attempted to kill themselves. China uses the same intervention techniques to minimize bullying as does the United States. Wang, H., Zhou, X., Lu, C., Deng, X., Hong, L., Gao, X., He, Y. Adolescent bullying involvement and psychosocial aspects of family and school life: A cross-sectional study from Guangdong province in china. (2012). Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology.

Disability Bullying It is said that people with mental or physical disabilities are more likely to be picked on and bullied than their peers. In particular, autistic kids are picked on and bullied because they have difficulty making friends and communicating, unlike their surrounding peers. This makes them a target because they are seen as weaker people. This mostly happens with mentally challenged children are not placed in special education classes, but instead put in classes with their other peers without disabilities because they show signs of leading an independent life. Comparing disability bullying to non disability bullying, it was found that 46% of kids with disabilities said they had been bullied and only 10.6% of the general adolescent population had been bullied. O’Connor, A. (2012). School Bullies Prey on Children with Autism. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/school-bullies-prey-on-children-with-autism/?ref=bullies

Bullying Varies with Age Children at different ages have a different understanding and view of what bullying actually is. This is a reason why bullying may decrease as children get older. Older children have a different view of what bullying is than when they were younger. Bullying at a young age may include teasing, name calling, and little physical contact. This changes when they get older because they are more cognitively developed, giving them a better understanding of what bullying is. As children get older, bullying becomes more verbal, rational, and indirect than when they were younger. This could include spreading rumors and excluding someone from a clique. Older kids are also less likely to report when they have been victimized by bullying. Younger children may speak right up and tell their teacher, but older kids more often than not keep it to themselves not wanting to rat anyone out, in fear of making the bullying worse. Younger children are often put into situations where they are associated with older kids, making them a target of being bullied. The older kids will see the younger kids as weak and scared, so they will victimize them because it's easy. Bullying is also more prominent in younger ages because of the fact that these children may have yet to learn that bullying is mean and should not be done. Their cognitive and social skills are not fully developed, possibly making them unaware. Smith, P. K., Shu, S., Madsen, K. Characteristics of victims of school bullying: Developmental changes in coping strategies and skills. Peer Harassment in School: The Plight of the Vulnerable and Victimized. Retrieved from: http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=qFqKTO46KOIC&oi=fnd&pg=PA332&dq=characteristics+of+victims+of+bullying&ots=EegKbDTxFd&sig=jD18JxbYyTiPCVdztBNUJdbQhFM#v=onepage&q=characteristics%20of%20victims%20of%20bullying&f=false