Bullying: The Hidden
Epidemic
Violence in American Schools
Trey Malicoat, MS
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Facts
 The National Education Association
estimates that 160,000 students in the
US miss school every day due to fear of
attack or intimidation by a bully. These
students miss 28 million days of school
annually. (Fried & Fried, 1996)
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Facts
There is a relationship between bullying or
being bullied and other types of violence,
including fighting, carrying weapons, and
suicide. The 2009 Indicators of School
Crime and Safety collected statistics from a
variety of studies, which showed that:
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Facts
 About 20 percent of teens had been made fun of
by a bully, 18 percent of teens had rumors or
gossip spread about them, 11 percent were
physically bullied, such as being shoved, tripped,
or spit on, 6 percent were threatened, 5 percent
were excluded from activities they wanted to
participate in, 4 percent were coerced into
something they did not want to do, and 4 percent
had their personal belongings destroyed by bullies
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Facts
 One third of teens reported being bullied
while at school
 4 percent of teens in this study reported
being the victims of cyber bullying
 Most bullying occurred inside the school,
with smaller numbers of bullying incidents
occurring outside on the school grounds, on
the school bus, or on the way to school
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Facts
 Only about a third of bully victims reported
the bullying to someone at school
 About 2 of every 3 bully victims were
bullied once or twice during the school
year, 1 in 5 were bullied once or twice a
month, and about 1 in 10 were bullied
daily or several times a week
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Facts
 In this study, females and white students
reported the most incidents of being the
victims of bullying
 44 percent of middle schools reported
bullying problems, compared to just over
20 percent of both elementary and high
schools
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Facts
 Rates of sexual harassment and racial or
ethnic tensions were somewhat higher for
middle school children than for other age
groups
 Violent crimes are more likely to occur
among middle school students and
younger teens than among older teens
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Facts
 10 percent of middle and high school
students have had hate terms used against
them, and over one third have seen hateful
graffiti messages
 Females are more likely to be called be
gender-based hate words, while males are
more likely to be called by hate words
relating to their race or ethnicity
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Facts
 Violent deaths, including suicides, are rare
at school, though recent events have shown
that bullying at school may be related to
violent actions, including suicides, outside of
school
 Though violent crimes among young people
have decreased in recent years, there was a
small upswing in the amount of violence
taking place at school
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Facts
 8 percent of students were injured or hurt
with a weapon at school, and males were
more likely than females to be victims
 7 percent of students have avoided school
or certain places at school because they
were afraid of being harmed in some way
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Facts
 Bullying is most common among middle school
children, where almost half of students may be
bully victims
 Between 15 and 25 percent of students overall
are frequent victims of bullying, and 15 to 20
percent of students bully others often
 About 20 percent of students experience physical
bullying at some point in their lives, while almost a
third experience some type of bullying
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Facts
 About 8 percent of students have been the
victims of a cyber bully
 Studies have indicated that females may be
the victims of bullying more often than
males; males are more likely to experience
physical or verbal bullying, while females are
more likely to experience social or
psychological bullying
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Facts
 Students with disabilities are more likely
to be the victims of bullying
 Homosexual and bisexual teens are more
likely to report bullying than heterosexual
teens
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Fact
 Bullies identified by age eight are six times
more likely to be convicted of crime by age 24
and five times more likely than non-bullies to
end up with serious criminal records by the age
of 30” (Maine Project Against Bullying, 2000);
60% of students characterized as bullies in
grades 6-9 had at least one criminal conviction
by age 24. (Banks, 2000)
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Fact
 Roughly two-thirds of school shooters had
“felt persecuted, bullied, threatened,
attacked, or injured by others…a number
of the teenagers had suffered sustained,
severe bullying and harassment”
(Bowman, 2001)
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What is bullying?
Bullying, unlike isolated conflicts between
individuals, occurs when a student or group of
students targets an individual repeatedly over
time, using physical or psychological aggression to
dominate the victim. (Hoover & Oliver, 1996; Rigby,
1995; USDOE, 1998). The repeated incidents function
to create an imbalance of power between bully and
victim.
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Bullying is violence involving:
 Duration
 Power
 Intent to Harm
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Power
 Human nature of man
 Power is experienced when a person
feels:
 In congruence/balance with their world
(at least in some area of life).
 Able to exert control over themselves or
others (a perceived ability to maintain self
control or to control others.)
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Power
Powerlessness occurs when:
 The person perceives a lack of personal
control (emotional, intellectual, social,
spiritual, physical) and their adaptive
capacities/ personal resilience are
exhausted.
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Systems of Power
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Family
Government
Education
Social services
Healthcare
Religion
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Expression of Power
Power is expressed through:
 Communication
 Proximetrics
 Verbal
 Non-verbal
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Behavior/ Actions
 Individual behavior/ actions
 Actions/ behaviors of others
 Group behavior
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Status
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Economic
Social
Political
Academic
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Emotional Powerlessness
Emotional powerlessness occurs when:
 When a person is flooded with change and uncertainty and feel they
are no longer capable of coping with stress
 When actual fear overrides thought—circumstances that involve a
fight or flight response
 When perceived fear overrides logic—phobias
 When all coping mechanisms are tested, and the person exhausts
their ability to explore new methods of coping
 When a person gives way to the experiential “tapes” in their head
(recorded by others or by experience)
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Emotional Powerlessness
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When they loose the ability to be rational and thoughtful
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When the shame of past behavior/ thoughts consumes the person
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When behavioral patterns seem un-interrupt-able (habits take over and
addictions kick in)
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When physical processes and physiological responses are confused with
emotional processing. (Tears for cleansing vs. tears from sorrowful feeling.)
(Feel tired so I must be sad or depressed)
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When physical processes and physiological responses override logic, reason,
and emotional understanding. (when your mind is tricked because of what your
body does—psychosomatic illness)
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When a person looses all hope
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Physical Powerlessness
Physical powerlessness occurs when:
 One person exerts physical dominance over another
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When the fight or flight response is initiated (depending on the physiological
response—if you fight you are powerful, if you flee or freeze you are physically
powerless)
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When physical processes and physiological responses render a person impotent
(weak and incapable)
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When a physical threat causes a loss of rationality and personal understanding of
a present situation (fear overrides the ability to act or react)
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When a foreign chemical affects central nervous system functioning
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Intellectual Powerlessness
Intellectual powerlessness occurs when:
 Emotion overrides one’s ability to think with logic and reason
 The brain is overwhelmed by too much sensory information
 The fight or flight response is initiated and the brain functions with the
limbic brain as primary
 One looses the ability to explore new options and personal meaning
 When one person, through methods of mind control and systematic
abuse, take charge of another person’s ability to think clearly (When
perception is skewed by someone else)
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Spiritual Powerlessness
Spiritual powerlessness occurs when:
 Intellectual thought overrides one’s ability to maintain faith and hope
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Spiritual beliefs fail to perceived reality. (When tragedy occurs and God
doesn’t seem present)
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Emotional processes test beliefs rooted in faith
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When personal values are challenged beyond one’s ability to believe in a
higher power/being)
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Circumstances test spiritual resolve beyond the person’s ability to
maintain faith and trust in something (a power/ being) greater
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Social Powerlessness
Social powerlessness occurs when:
 A person is a victim of a social circumstance involving public embarrassment,
humiliation, and shame as perceived by others
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When a person no longer has a public voice or opinion because of oppression
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When a person is ostracized and treated as an outsider of the social group
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When a person perceives him or herself as being socially powerless
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When a person’s life experience run contrary to social norms
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When a person perceives him or herself as unaccepted and different from others
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When social norming dictates behavior that is contrary to the person’s personal
perception
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Types of Bullies
 Provoking--bystander encouragers
 Proactive
 Reactive
All types can be individual or group categories
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Bullying Techniques
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Physical
Emotional
Social
Verbal
Non-verbal
Direct
Indirect
Active
Passive
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It’s all abuse!
Physical
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Hitting
Shoving
Tripping
Spitting
Any behavior that is physical in nature
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Emotional
 Sarcasm
 Mocking
 Teasing
 Name Calling
Any way you tear someone down from the
inside out
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Social
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Ridiculing
Rumors
Discrimination
Isolation
Rejection
Humiliation
Anything you can do publicly to humiliate and
degrade someone else
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Tools for bullying
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Telephone
Internet
Notes
People
Property
Anything that can be used to humiliates someone
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Bullying Occurs…
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On the playground
Lunchroom
Locker room
Unsupervised places on school premises
Bus
Mall
Parks
On the street
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Prevention of bullying--Schools
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Develop an anti-bullying policy
Provide training for all staff
Involve parents
Identify resources for bullies, victims and families
Provide a no-tolerance environment for students
 Supervision—playgrounds, bus stops, blind spots, stairwells,
bathrooms
 One behavior standard for all in the buildings (including
teachers)
 Clear and strong behavior management
 Teach anti-bullying all the time!
 Integrate respect into the curriculum
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Prevention with your Child
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Teach empathy
Model communication
Listen to them
Value and respect them
Take all “bullying” talk seriously
Honor them
Habilitate them
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Intervention
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Quickly, respectfully, honorably
Model appropriate behavior
Take all talk seriously
Don’t look for a person to blame
Be aware of retaliation and plan ahead
Create an empathetic climate
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Building Internal & External Assets
To comprehensively address the issue of
bullying in schools and other communities,
it is critical to build upon the internal and
external assets of all children.
Asset-based research provided by the
SEARCH Institute www.search-institute.org
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Intervention—The QUICK list
 Habilitate all people
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Communication
Trust
Honesty
Respect
Listening
Problem solving
Conflict management
Responsibility
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Developmental Assets--Support
 Family Support | Family continues to be a
consistent provider of love and support for
the child’s unique physical and emotional
needs.
 Parent Involvement in Schooling | Parent(s)
talk about the importance of education and
are actively involved in the child’s school
success.
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Developmental Assets--Support
 Positive Family Communication | Parent(s) and
child communicate openly, respectfully, and
frequently, with child receiving praise for her or his
efforts and accomplishments.
 Other Adult Relationships | Child receives support
from adults other than her or his parent(s), with the
child sometimes experiencing relationships with a
nonparent adult.
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Developmental Assets--Support
 Caring Neighborhood | Parent(s) and child
experience friendly neighbors who affirm
and support the child’s growth and sense
of belonging
 Caring School Climate | Child experiences
warm, welcoming relationships with
teachers, caregivers, and peers at school.
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Developmental Assets--Empowerment
 Community Values Children | Children are
welcomed and included throughout
community life.
 Children as Resources | Child contributes
to family decisions and has opportunities
to participate in positive community
events.
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Developmental Assets--Empowerment
 Service to Others | Child has opportunities
to serve in the community with adult
support and approval.
 Safety | Parents and community adults
ensure the child’s safety while keeping in
mind her or his increasing independence.
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Developmental Assets--Expectations
 Family Boundaries | The family maintains
supervision of the child, has reasonable
guidelines for behavior, and always knows
where the child is.
 Adult Role Models | Parent(s) and other
adults model positive, responsible behavior
and encourage the child to follow these
examples.
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Developmental Assets--Expectations
 School Boundaries | Schools have clear,
consistent rules and consequences and
use a positive approach to discipline.
 Neighborhood Boundaries | Neighbors and
friends’ parents help monitor the child’s
behavior and provide feedback to the
parent(s).
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Developmental Assets--Expectations
 Positive Peer Influence | Parent(s) monitor
the child’s friends and encourage spending
time with those who set good examples.
 High Expectations | Parent(s), teachers, and
other influential adults encourage the child to
do her or his best in all tasks and celebrate
their successes.
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Developmental Assets--Time
 Creative Activities | Child participates
weekly in music, dance, or other form of
artistic expression outside of school.
 Child Programs | Child participates weekly
in at least one sport, club, or organization
within the school or community.
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Developmental Assets—Time
 Religious Community | Child participates
in age-appropriate religious activities and
caring relationships that nurture her or his
spiritual development.
 Time at Home | Child spends time at home
playing and doing positive activities with
the family.
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Developmental Assets--Learning
 Achievement Motivation | Child is
encouraged to remain curious and
demonstrates an interest in doing well
at school.
 Learning Engagement | Child is enthused
about learning and enjoys going to school.
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Developmental Assets--Learning
 Homework | With appropriate parental
support, child completes assigned homework.
 Bonding to School | Child is encouraged to
have and feels a sense of belonging at school.
 Reading for Pleasure | Child listens to and/or
reads books outside of school daily.
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Developmental Assets--Values
 Caring | Parent(s) help child grow in
empathy, understanding, and helping
others.
 Equality and Social Justice | Parent(s)
encourage child to be concerned about rules
and being fair to everyone.
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Developmental Assets--Values
 Integrity | Parent(s) help child develop her
or his own sense of right and wrong
behavior.
 Honesty | Parent(s) encourage child’s
development in recognizing and telling the
truth
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Developmental Assets--Values
 Responsibility | Parent(s) encourage child
to accept and take responsibility for her or
his actions at school and at home.
 Self-Regulation | Parents encourage
child’s growth in regulating her or his own
emotions and behaviors and in
understanding the importance of healthy
habits and choices.
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Developmental Assets—Social Competency
 Planning and Decision Making | Parent(s)
help child think through and plan school
and play activities.
 Interpersonal Competence | Child seeks to
build friendships and is learning about selfcontrol.
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Developmental Assets—Social Competency
 Resistance Skills | Child is learning to
recognize risky or dangerous situations and
is able to seek help from trusted adults.
 Peaceful Conflict Resolution | Child
continues learning to resolve conflicts
without hitting, throwing a tantrum, or
using hurtful language.
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Developmental Assets—Social Competency
 Cultural Competence | Child continues to
learn about her or his own cultural identity
and is encouraged to interact positively
with children of different racial, ethnic, and
cultural backgrounds.
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Developmental Assets—Positive Identity
 Personal Power | Child has a growing
sense of having influence over some of the
things that happen in her or his life.
 Self-Esteem | Child likes herself or himself
and feels valued by others.
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Developmental Assets—Positive Identity
 Sense of Purpose | Child welcomes new
experiences and imagines what he or she
might do or be in the future.
 Positive View of Personal Future | Child has
a growing curiosity about the world and
finding her or his place in it.
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Other Available Workshops
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Where to Get More Information
Please contact me or your school counselor
for a comprehensive list of websites and
books available
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