The 5 types of bullying or bullying

The bullying is a term that has gained popularity over the last few years, but this phenomenon has existed since man exists. Now, what exactly do we understand by bullying or bullying? This Anglo-Saxon word is used frequently to refer to the typical class bullies. Namely, abusers, either physically or psychologically.

Bullying is a phenomenon that is characterized by harassment, harassment and / or intimidation of the abuser on the victim, within the school environment. The harasser enjoys feeling superior to the harassed and rejoices in their suffering. Repeated exposure of this condition by the victim can have serious psychological consequences. In some cases, students who have been bullied they can commit suicide.

• Harassment in the workplace is called mobbing. You can know more about this phenomenon in our article: " Mobbing: psychological harassment at work"

The causes of bullying

Bullying is a phenomenon that can manifest itself for different causes (personal, family or school), and that is why it can occur in any educational center: be it private or public. Regarding school causes,

there seems to be a higher risk of bullying in large schools than in small ones, due to the difficulty in monitoring the former.

A personal cause could be, for example, the stalker's low self-esteem. Feeling superior to the harassed would be a way to make up for the low self-confidence. Regarding family causes, the origin of the violence of bullying children could be found in the aggressive father model. In addition, the economic tension, the bad relationship between the parents, the acquired values, the absence of rules of coexistence, etc. could be probable causes of the development of this phenomenon.

Consequences and effects

Victims of bullying can suffer various negative psychological effects.

Research conducted in 2014 at King’s College London found that psychological effects negatives suffered by people with bullying remain for 40 years after being a victim of bullying.

This it should make us reflect on the serious psychological impact of harassment on the rest of the life of the person affected, presenting worse indicators of their mental and physical health and a worse cognitive performance compared to individuals who did not suffer bullying.

Let's see what are the negative effects on physical and mental health detected in victims of bullying.

1. Stress

Victims of bullying experience stress not only during school time but also years afterward. This emerges from a study carried out in the Tufts University and that reveals that affected people secrete more cortisol, a hormone directly involved in the feeling of stress.

This would explain a large part of the long-term health consequences in these people, for example the appearance of mental disorders, as noted by a study of the Johns Hopkins University.

2. Anxiety and depression

Another investigation, in this case of the Duke university, found that victims of bullying were more likely to suffer from disorders such as agoraphobia, the generalized anxiety disorder and the crisis of panic. They also featured higher rates of depression and of social isolation.

3. Somatizations

They can also present psychosomatic disorders. This was found in a report Posted by Randy and Lori Sansone in the year 2008.

4. Suicide

In the same study conducted at Duke, a higher probability of suicides in these people. The first case of suicide of a person who suffered bullying It was the young Spanish Jokin, who at the age of 14 decided to end his life after years of suffering abuse and harassment at his school in the town of Hondarribia.

5. Problems in socialization and future work

Victims of bullying at school show, statistically, worse indicators in terms of their quality of family life and their purchasing power in their adult life. They may also experience poorer performance in their social and communication skills, as noted in this study by Claire Fox and Michael Boulton published in the British Psychological Society.

The types of bullying

But what types of bullying exist? According to him National Center Against Bullying (NCAB) bullying can be classified as follows following different criteria.

1. Verbal bullying

What is it?

Verbal bullying or verbal bullying is characterized by the harassment expressing cruel words, insults, threats, intimidation, jokes, and excluding phrases about the victim's appearance, sexuality, ethnicity, race, or disability. Children are more sensitive to these types of comments.

Example: When a child says to another child: "You are very, very fat, and so is your mother."

How to detect it?

Children who are victims of this type of bullying may be absent, moody, or show a change in appetite. They can also say something of what they have been told and ask if it is true.

2. Physical bullying

What is it?

Physical bullying is characterized by aggressive and intimidating behavior on the part of the harasser, which includes kicking, hitting, tripping, blocking, or shoving. It is the best known form of Bullying.

Example: A child is bullied by another child who pulls his pants down at recess

How to detect it?

Unfortunately, many children do not tell their parents what has happened. But parents can detect if their child is experiencing physical bullying because this type of bullying usually leaves marks on the victim's body, which sends an alarm signal. Some of these body marks are: cuts, bruises, torn clothing, etc. In addition, the sufferer may frequently complain of headaches or tummy aches.

3. Social or relational bullying

What is it?

This type of bullying is more difficult to detect and usually happens behind the victim's back. The objective is usually that the person does not join or is not part of a group. Whether in the dining room, at recess football games or any social or educational activity at the center, the victim is denied or repudiated by her classmates.

Example: A group of girls in a gym class take pictures of her about a party in which one of the girls in the class was not invited, and while she is present, they treat her as if she were invisible.

How to detect it?

The victim often shows mood swings, avoids peer groups, and is alone more than usual. Girls are more likely to suffer this type of bullying. The emotional pain caused by social bullying can be as intense as that suffered by physical bullying and the consequences can last even longer.

4. Cyberbullying

What is it?

Cyberbullying is a phenomenon that was born due to the rise of social networks. It is characterized by harassment or intimidation produced through social networks, text messages and emails. Through the digital medium, the stalker spreads false rumors, lies, threats, sexist or racist comments, causing enormous discomfort and psychological and emotional problems in the victim.

Example: When a boy tweets or posts a status on facebook, “Ramón is a loser. How is it possible that he has a girlfriend? Surely his girlfriend only wants him for the money. "

How to detect it?

The cyberbullying victim may spend a lot of time online and appear sad and anxious afterwards. In addition, the person who suffers this type of bullying (and any form of bullying) may have trouble sleeping, and may even beg not to go to school, absent from activities that he previously enjoyed.

5. Carnal bullying

What is it?

This type of bullying is possibly the most difficult to analyze, as many people refuse to accept that there are children who carry out this type of behavior. This kind of bullying at school It is characterized by sexist or obscene comments, by touching the victim in intimate places or pressuring the victim to do something that she does not want (for example, watching adult movies). This kind of bullying can cause serious psychological problems and forever mark the intimate and affective relationships of the victim.

Example: A class boy forces a girl to kiss him repeatedly.

How to detect it?

Generally, the victim of this type of bullying will not express what is happening to him, but avoid situations in which she may encounter the harasser. For example, not attending school.

The diversity of violence at school

The existence of different types of bullying shows us to what extent actions aimed at harming or attacking others can take different forms. Therefore, it is the responsibility of adults and caregivers to detect these forms of physical or psychological violence and stop them, focusing on the needs of the victims.

It is crucial that stereotypes about what is violence and what is not do not serve as an excuse to make unacceptable behavior invisible and normalize. that, although they do not have to do with beatings or injuries, leave psychological marks that can distort the quality of life of children for years.

Bibliographic references:

• De Acevedo, A. (2010). Someone is bothering me: bullying. Editions B.
• Barri, F. (2006). S.O.S. Bullying: Prevent Bullying and Improve Coexistence. Praxis, S.A.
• Norman K.J., Seiden J.A., Klickstein J.A., Han X., Hwa .LS., Et al. (2015). Social stress and escalated drug self-administration in mice I. Alcohol and corticosterone. Psychopharmacology.
• Ricou Sanz, J. (2005). Bullying RD Editors.