What is bullying?

According to Dan Olweus 'bullying', otherwise known as 'mobbing', is defined as “one or more individuals being subjected to negative actions by one or more individuals over a prolonged period of time.“ Negative actions encompass the intent of an individual to cause another harm or discomfort. Such actions may be verbal (threatening, abusing, taunting, deriding) physical (kicking, punching, pushing, pinching, holding on to) or non-verbal (pulling faces, offensive gesticulation, back turning). Even individual instances of maliciousness are considered acts of bullying if they are particularly grave. Bullying expresses an imbalance of power of either physical or psychological nature, between victim and perpetrator(s). According to Olweus, it is not considered bullying when two equally matched individuals engage in a dispute.

Mobbing, School, and how the two relate

According to education researcher Wolfgang Melzer, bullying cannot be attributed to supposed perpetrator and victim personalities, but to the overall school climate. Social psychologist Elliot Aronson corroborates this claim and attributes bullying to the rat race students are engaged in at school, which is inadvertently upheld by the format and manner in which lessons are conducted.

When we talk about bullying in schools, we have basically put a name to an ancient known phenomenon. This is the phenomenon of individual students being ostracized, teased or threatened by their peers. At the base of this is often a group dynamic which creates a sense of belonging, either through the shared image of an 'enemy' or through the membership of a certain group. Whoever participates in acts of bullying in school after all seldom becomes the victim of bullying him or herself. Bullying among students often leads to physical acts of abuse or malicious statements, either of which can cause detrimental psychological trauma in the victim.

Who is affected by bullying in school?

In an online survey conducted in 2007 by the Centre for Empirical Pedagogical Research of the University of Koblenz-Landau in which 1,997 school age children and teenagers participated, 54,3% said they were directly affected by bullying.

The victims of bullying in schools are often shy or weak children. Superficial features such as clothing or looks can also be reasons for victimization. Occasionally however, children who themselves show aggressive behaviour fall prey to mobbing. In such cases it may well be quite difficult to distinguish the line between victim and perpetrator.

What can we do about it?

Prevention and Help

Typical reactions to bullying are fearful reclusiveness or attempts to be liked by the perpetrator. Both these reactions however only serve to maintain the power dynamic between victim and perpetrator. An energetic reaction towards the perpetrator on the other hand is much more likely to end the abuse than withdrawal. If a student falls victim to bullying, the case ought to be engaged with as soon as possible, and laid open to teachers, parents, the school board and director as well as be taken up with the offending pupil themselves. The so-called “Farsta Method“ or the “No Blame Approach“ are well-tried strategies for resolving the problem.

If all these pedagogical measures fail to affect change or if the case of bullying has in the meantime escalated into a criminal offense, then the afflicted parties should under no circumstances be averse to taking legal action. While it is true that adolescents under the age of 14 are deemed not liable for their actions in Germany, still a denunciation will raise awareness and occasion a number of measures to be enforced.

Lastly, not rarely is bullying perpetrated by a teacher. It is important to remember in any case to contact a person who can intervene and help. It is also crucial to be aware of the fact that bullying in schools is often not taken seriously. Sentences such as “children are simply cruel“ veritably strive to excuse bullying behaviour and fail to recognize the possible consequences for an affected child, which when ignored can in some cases even entail suicide. It is therefore paramount to look for and accept help for cases of school bullying. If it is not possible to appeal to a teacher or any other person of confidence, then a psychological consultation may present a successful opportunity for fighting back against bullying in school.

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