The Effects of Bullying
Bullying negatively affects both the child being victimized and the child who is the bully. There are always short-term affects and if the bullying is severe enough there can also be long term effects. Children who are bullied can suffer from low self esteem and other emotional problems and children who do the bullying are much more likely to have problems with drugs and alcohol later in life. Bullying should not be taken lightly as it can cause serious problems for all the children involved.
Being bullied is a very stressful ordeal for children. Many bullying victims are reluctant to talk about their experiences making it even harder to help them. While it is possible for children to learn to ignore and not be bothered by bullying, they are usually stressed out when bullying attacks occur. The victims of bullies often loose self esteem, start having trouble in school, and withdraw from friends and activities. If it is not stopped and continues for long enough, children can suffer these problems permanently.
Bullying victims can suffer from long-term effects of bullying if it was severe enough. Bullying victims are more likely to have social and depression issues later in life. Children who were constantly bullied may have a hard time forming friendships and fitting in with others throughout their lives. Most bullying victims suffer no long-term effects of bullying but it can happen if nothing is done to stop the bullying early on.
Bullies usually have their own problems that cause them to pick on others and if they are allowed to continue bullying these problems may never be resolved. Bullies often have friends but these relationships are destructive and only help to perpetuate bullying. The effects of bullying on bullies are usually frequent trouble in school and at home. Bullies can also suffer long term problems if they are allowed to continue bullying others.
Bullies who are not stopped early can suffer from long term effects. A bully who is never taught appropriate ways to deal with their problems will most likely continue being aggressive and bullying others into their adult life. Bullies are also more likely to commit crimes and be involved in illegal activity when they get older. Bullies will often have a hard time making friends and maintain friendships as the friends who support bullying are not quality relationships to be in. Bullies may never learn how to effectively problem solve if they are given other ways to respond when the bullying problem first arises.
While most cases of bullying do not result in any long-term effects, the painful memories of bullying can cause victims problems in the future. For bullies, the inability to cope with problems in a healthy way may lead to serious trouble in the future. Because the possibility exists for these types of problems, bullying must be taken seriously and dealt with accordingly. It is important to stop bullying early so both the bully and the victim do not suffer from any long term affects.