Physical bullying: characteristics of this form of harassment

Intentional and repeated physical bullying, abuse and aggression towards a person has devastating consequences for the victim.

In recent years, an increase in the number of cases of persistent physical aggression has been observed. This raises a concern in society that must ensure that individuals are more aware of what bullying entails.

Therefore, it is essential to know what characteristics it presents, how we can detect it and how to prevent and act in the face of this type of harassment. We cannot be indifferent and we have to be vigilant in order to act and treat both victims and aggressors.

In this article we will get to know better what is meant by physical bullying, what causes and consequences are related to it and how we should act to be able to prevent it and end it.

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What is physical bullying?

Physical bullying is a type of abuse, harassment, or intimidation that occurs repeatedly and where there is physical contact between the victim and the abuser

. It can manifest itself in different ways, from hitting, shoving, kicking, spitting or even destroying or stealing belongings, such as the attacked school supplies.

The aggressor is usually a figure with authority or stronger than the victim, someone from whom it is difficult to defend or escapeGiven this situation, the victim will be in a defenseless state in which she sees and believes that nothing she does can prevent or stop the aggression, she cannot do anything to be safe.

Physical bullying is one of the most common types of bullying, it can be found in schools, but it can also be present in the workplace among adults. Since men, the masculine sex, tends, is related more frequently, to physical aggressive behaviors Regarding women, this form of bullying will be more likely to be generated and presented among children, males.

It is believed and pointed out as the most dangerous type of harassment, since in other types of bullying such as would be psychological or verbal, only psychological affectation or consequence occurs in the victim; on the other hand, in the case of physical abuse Apart from the psychological alterations that also occur, physical damage or affectations will appear on the victim, and their physical integrity may be endangered..

Currently, this form of harassment has increased, the number of subjects affected by physical harassment has increased. This has generated great concern at the social level, given the fatal consequences caused by this type of bullying. As in all behavior, it usually begins with less serious patterns or attacks, that is, it is common for the aggressor or aggressors to begin by verbally harassing them and then go on to introduce physical abuse.

There are different variables or characteristics that can predispose or be related to the presence of bullying, some of these variables would be: the race of the victim and the aggressor, gender, socioeconomic status or social class and the physical appearance or personality of the attacked.

The only "beneficial" feature or fact is that Being a very aggressive type of bullying, it leaves signs and marks on the physical, and it is easier and easier for it to be detected by the subjects that are part of the victim's environment, such as their parents or teachers.

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Characteristics of physical bullying

A necessary characteristic for aggression to be considered bullying is that it occurs repeatedly, on more than one occasion, and not as a single and isolated event. This type of bullying can be found in different spaces where the victim and the aggressor coincide; for example, in the classrooms of the school or institute, in the playground, in the universities or even as we have already pointed out before at work, in this particular case the harassment is called mobbing.

Another fundamental fact to be able to consider an aggression as physical bullying, is that this is produced intentionally by the aggressor, that is, to carry out the action in order to harm and attack the other person, and it does not occur by accident.

In bullying it is also observed an inequality of powers. The aggressor surpasses the victim in some characteristic, for example physically, he is bigger and has more force; psychologically, he is smarter; or socially, they have a favorable position, presenting the support of other colleagues. It is important to consider the degree of aggressiveness, since this is intended to produce control and power over the victim.

It has been considered that the aggressor in many occasions is not only an individual, but is a group of subjects who support and cover each other.

The ways of physically attacking can be multiple, from hitting or hitting to breaking or stealing objects, belongings of the victim. Apart from the physical damage or loss that these attacks entail, as we have already mentioned, they will also cause psychological affectation, generating a decrease in the self-esteem of the attacked, as well as causing a feeling of insecurity that will not allow you to be calm in many of the environments where you spend a large part of the day such as school.

This physical abuse also affects the victim's social sphere, since one of the purposes or consequences of physical bullying will be the isolation or exclusion of the attacked, both on the part of her aggressors, who as expected does not want it as friend, as well as by other colleagues who do not want to be around, who are related to the victim, since they are afraid that this fact will cause them to be in the same way attacked.

On many occasions, to prevent the victim from reporting the harassment or asking for help, the aggressors prevent the victim from communicating freely, coercing or forcing the victim to take actions and carry out a behavior that she does not want or has no will to do.

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Causes of physical bullying

There are several causes that can lead to physical harassment, therefore it is sometimes difficult to clearly identify the causes that have led to the aggression.

Some of the typical personality traits that occur routinely in bullies They could be some of the following: showing a tendency or facility to act aggressive or impulsive, the need to dominate or exercise power over others ...

It is not uncommon for bullies to have a low self-esteem and by means of aggression they try to solve and compensate for the affective deficiencies that they have. In the same way, they are also individuals with insecurities who try to increase this, harming other people and making them feel less secure, finally you can also observe narcissistic traits, giving the sensation or believing themselves superior to the victim.

It also has an important role in the presence of bullying the frustration that the aggressor feels about aspects of his life. The impossibility or difficulty of controlling the situation produces in him frustration, irritability and anger that he cannot control and will need to discharge.

Although it seems contradictory, it has been proven that on many occasions the aggressors have also been or are victims of aggression. This affectation generates the need to restore their power or pride and they mistakenly believe that acting in the same way that they have done with them they will feel better.

In the same way, it has been seen that it is common for the aggressor to do not show empathy towards the victim, not putting yourself in her place and understanding the damage that is causing you. This lack of empathy can occur because the individual is still too small and has not developed this ability, or simply because he does not have the social and emotional capacities and skills necessary.

It is also frequent that the aggressor feels some envy towards the victim, feels inferior in some aspect compared to her. In the case of physical bullying, where normally the aggressor is bigger or stronger than the attacked, It is common for differences and the feeling of inferiority to be more related to the intelligence. The attacker attacks the victim trying to hide this insecurity and inferiority.

Other characteristics or environmental variables that may appear as a cause of physical harassment is the stressful environment in which the aggressor livesEven as we have already said, you may be a victim of another type of abuse; and the lack of attention that the aggressor receives from her parents and friends, a lack of care and support.

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Consequences of physical bullying

As we pointed out previously, this type of harassment produces affectations and physical damage in the victim that in some occasions can be permanent, making it necessary for the victim to adapt to these new circumstances.

On the other hand, like any other type of bullying they also generate psychological alterations, being able to behave the appearance of depressive or anxiety disorders, among others. Even living in a bullying situation can lead to suicidal tendencies and wanting to end one's life to avoid further suffering.

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How to detect, prevent and act against this type of harassment?

It is important that the people around the possible victim are aware of if there are: changes in behavior, for example he is no longer having fun with anything; changes in mood, most of the time is sad; It is difficult for him to sleep or, on the contrary, he sleeps much more than before; eat less or refuse to eat; wounds or bruises on your body are common.

Given the seriousness of the consequences generated by bullying It will be essential that anti-bullying or harassment prevention protocols are implemented and used. It is very important that the environment that surrounds the possible victims knows and is informed about the possible types of bullying, how to detect them and how to act. In particular, it is of great relevance given the growing number of cases of bullying in classrooms that teachers and academic staff are trained and trained.

Such is the severity of the matter that in cases where those involved are over 14 years of age, it is advisable to report the abuse and demand criminal responsibility. In the same way, it is recommended that you seek help from experts, either in the legal or health field.