One of the growing concerns for teachers and parents over the last few years has been that of school bullying, also known as bullying. Bullying encompasses all kinds of mistreatment, from physical to verbal, including psychological, that occurs between schoolchildren. Dr. González Villalobos of the Doctor Oliveros Group tells you everything you need to know about bullying.
Why are there so many cases of bullying?
Bullying has always existed in the classroom, although in recent decades, society’s awareness seems to have focused on this problem. Thus, there is an increasing awareness of the importance of this problem and the importance of its detection.
What types of bullying are there?
Within bullying, four distinct subtypes can be distinguished:
- Verbal: this is the most frequent, and includes insults, name-calling, threats, belittling and humiliation.
- Physical: blows, punches, shoves, aggressions…
- Psychological: consists of fostering the insecurity and low self-esteem of the person being bullied.
- Social: it is the isolation and exclusion of the subject from the group.
However, a type of bullying that has gained great prominence in recent times is the so-called cyberbullying, which is defined as the use of telematic means (through the Internet, social networks or cell phones) to exercise psychological harassment. Thus, insults, humiliation on networks or the dissemination of photographs or videos without the consent of the victim are common.
What profiles are found in bullying?
Among bullies, different profiles can be distinguished, although they tend to share common traits, such as difficulty in empathizing with the other, impulsiveness, tendency to assume a leadership role, difficulties in relating and solving problems or defiant and oppositional behaviors.
How can I know if someone is being bullied?
While it is true that a large number of victims share their situation with someone, a high percentage of children remain silent, for fear of worrying their parents, for fear of retaliation or for fear of being blamed for the aforementioned situation. Thus, there are signs of bullying.
- The appearance of marks or blows with a not very credible explanation.
- Excessive worry or anxiety at the prospect of going to school.
- Lack of enthusiasm, sadness or decadence.
- Excuses to avoid going out or seeing their classmates.
- Having untidy or torn clothing or equipment
- Tendency to loneliness at school or high school
- Insecurity about themselves
In the case of detecting any of these symptoms. It is important to establish a close relationship with the child, so that he/she can express him/herself and talk about what worries him/her, feeling accompanied and supported in anything he/she can say. At the same time, it is also very important the coordination between the school and the parents, so that the facts can be informed and solved.
Sometimes, the intervention of a specialist in Psychiatry is necessary to detect the affective symptoms of the child, to reinforce his self-esteem, to favor self-confidence in himself and in others and to support social relationships.