025 BULLYING NOT NORMAL PART OF LIFE, BUT SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE, SAY EXPERTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 15, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-494-8857 or lrollins@mtsu.edu

Researchers Say Bullying Destructive to the Bullied and Bullies, Intervention Crucial;
Girls Just as Likely to Bully as Boys During Middle School Years, Report Educators

(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)—Being bullied in school is not merely a “normal part of life” that many children must just learn to deal with. Instead, it’s a socially unacceptable behavior that must be swiftly and properly addressed, because it carries destructive effects to both the bully and the victim, reports Dr. Ellen Slicker, MTSU psychology professor.
Defined as doing, saying or acting in a way that hurts someone else or makes him or her feel bad on purpose, bullying comes in many forms—from name-calling, punching or pushing, leaving someone out of a game or group on purpose, and stealing someone’s money or other possessions, to using the Internet, computers or mobile phones to bully another.
Among its numerous problem-causing issues, bullying also is regarded as a barrier to learning in our schools, observes Dr. Doug Winborn, associate professor of health and human performance at MTSU, who notes that it is crucial for school personnel to expediently address bullying situations. Yet equally important is how they address such scenarios, he adds.
“Adults who address bullying by bullying the bullies will not solve the
problem,” he warns. “While the bullying behavior is unwanted, the bully must be helped along, too. And there are ways to accomplish this (through educational) programs. …”
According to one survey from www.bullying.org, a nonprofit Web site created to help people deal with issues surrounding bullying, “Other kids are watching 85 percent of the time when one kid bullies another (but) … teachers or parents hardly ever see a bully being mean to someone else.”
Moreover, various studies and reports have established that at least 15 percent of students are bullied regularly or are the initiators of bullying behavior, with bullying increasing throughout the elementary years and peaking in middle school or junior high.
Although bullying is not a new occurrence, it is an ongoing problem that is finally getting a much-needed spotlight, says Winborn, an organizer of the upcoming Fit for the Future Conference, a two-day event on Oct. 16-17 at Middle Tennessee State University that will include participation from Operation Respect, a nonprofit organization whose representatives actively work to transform schools, camps and organizations focused on youth into more compassionate, safe and respectful environments.
Bullied himself as a child, Winborn says bullying is a multi-faceted problem that “has been going on for years.” However, “In this era, someone somewhere has chosen to stand up. The bullied are coming forward and speaking out and a new generation of parent has entered the scene.
“At one time,” Winborn continues, “kids were ashamed to share what was happening to them with parents. Now, though, they are speaking out and parents are becoming involved, kids are finding help among adults in the schools and, as evidenced by the growing number of bullying and violence curricula, it has become a priority in schools.”
Although organizations such as Project Respect have done much to raise awareness about the need to properly address bullying situations, many myths continue to surround the age-old problem. For instance, according to information contained on bullying.org, one of the most prevalent misconceptions about bullying is that it’s just a part of life that many children must undergo. However, per the experts, nothing about being bullied “is normal,” nor is it socially acceptable.
“Some kids will fake illness in order to stay home; I did,” reveals Winborn, who says any illness that can’t be measured by a thermometer—such as stomach or headaches—are common claims among children who are bullied at school.
Slicker, who helps train school counselors, said that although some children may resist going to school because they’re being bullied, “it behooves administrators and parents to forget the ‘boys will be boys’ attitude and look at the destructive effects to both the bully and the victim.”
Winborn agrees, and outlines humiliation, school non-attendance, sadness and fear as some of the most immediate effects exhibited by those being bullied. However, he adds, in rare cases, those being bullied can become fed up and retaliate with weapons to "even the playing field," especially if the bullied person is small.
Also, some bullied children will gravitate toward a safe person or safe space at school, he continues. And hiding under bleachers or misbehaving so that recess is taken away are additional strategies that victimized children employ to
avoid bullies, he notes.
As for whether there are sure-fire ways for parents, school personnel or other adults to tell which children are most likely to be bullied, both Winborn and Slicker agree the answer is both yes and no.
“It seems that children with certain physical attributes receive bullying more than others who are more attractive,” confirms Slicker, who recently conducted research focusing on bullies and the bullied.
“Kids that are different can become bully targets depending on
how the kids have been taught, what is tolerated,” Winborn explains. “Fat kids, skinny kids, pale kids, dark kids, kids with glasses or braces—all may be targets. And it also depends on how kids respond to ‘harmless’ remarks that are not taken well.
“One kid might be teased because of their appearance and blow it off while another might be shattered,” he adds, “(but) some of this can be solved through communication and creation of an atmosphere of compassion.”
“Bullying has always been around,” agrees Slicker, “and I don’t believe it’s necessarily getting any worse but we are just more aware of it and realizing now the damage that it can do.
“The only part that is getting worse recently is the increased availability of and use of weapons,” she notes. “In older children and adolescents, if weapons are involved it kicks bullying up several notches to an even more serious level.”
Spotting bullies, however, isn’t always easy, because there is no cookie-cutter model for such individuals, experts say. In fact, “Girls are just as good at bullying as boys are but we call it ‘relational aggression,’” notes Slicker. “Girls can be extremely mean to each other through spreading rumors and socially ostracizing (someone) who was yesterday’s good friend.”
Still, it’s important to remember that bullies—like those they target for abuse—also have numerous issues at play, including bullying others to avoid being bullied, Winborn says.
“Another (issue for bullies) is that they are being bullied in some other setting and translate that onto their victims,” he shares. “And, as stated before, this conduct works for them.
“For some, there is a ‘high’ or ‘rush’ related to the bullying, even a sense of power—albeit, unauthentic power—and superiority. But again, the bully is in need of help.”
Indeed, confirms Slicker, “Bullies are at as much risk as the victims for negative affect later on. The psychological control inflected on them by their parents could cause such a feeling of victimization and anger in them that they feel a need to pass that meanness on; perhaps because that is the only way they have learned to interact with others.”
As a result, bullies, subsequently, “tend to be ‘rejected’ children with whom no one wants to associate, so they are quite lonely and sad,” she says.
In short, adds Winborn, “Unless corrected, the bully learns that she or he can get what they want through physical and emotional intimidation. Later in life they find that employers, spouses (and others) do not tolerate that conduct.”
As for those who survive the bullies, “Long term, (they) fare better than the bullies,” Winborn reports. “They have emotional scars, but press on and are much more successful in life than their bullying counterparts.”
For more information or educational resources about bullying, please contact the Operation Respect by e-mailing info@operationrespect.org or by calling (212) 904-5243.


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***ATTENTION, MEDIA: To obtain an interview with Drs. Slicker or Winborn, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU via e-mailing lrollins@mtsu.edu or calling 615-494-8857.