Thursday 30 January 2014

Taking A Stand Against Mental Bullying

By Serena Price


Bullies have been around from the beginning of time, and will never go away. Nobody will forget the individual who was bigger and meaner than the rest of the kids in school. They were the ones that parents wanted to personally get their hands on and teach a lesson. However, in today's society, mental bullying is an abuse that continues to grow day by day.

This type of bullying comes about when someone tries to get what they want by making someone feel afraid or intimidated by things that one says or does. Contrary to belief, it doesn't just happen on the school playground. It can be found among adults as well. It could be found on the job, or in the midst of intimate relationships. It often comes in the form of threatening, belittling, name-calling, lying, or even humiliation.

Bullies try their best to make someone pay for mistakes that were unintentional. Sometimes, those that ask simple questions are often targeted through the use of sarcasm. No matter what they say, they will always experience some type of emotional trauma. Humiliating pranks and actions are many times used as common disguises for bullying. Every prank done in the workplace is not always what it appears to be.

Emotional bullying may appear to plague only children, but they affect adults as well. Wounds and scars are often left that are not so easy to heal. It is not uncommon to find that those that endure such abuse often times turn and become the abuser. Tremendous results occur when it comes to an individual's mental health. It brings about low self-esteem, suicide attempts, shame, and poor job performances. Usually, depression is at the top of the list. One unfortunate result that can occur is if the victim over identifies with the bully. They take up for the abuser and make excuses for their abusive behavior.

One question that always comes up is how to deal with bullies. The answer yet remains the same. An individual has two options. They can either stand up to the bully, or completely ignore them.

Adults have more knowledge and insight when understanding the reasons behind the behavior of a bully. Children are innocent and not so wise when it comes to this topic. Just knowing that the attacks of an abuser really is not a personal attack on the victim. It all comes down to who the abuser is and what they've encountered. These individuals oftentimes abuse more than one person.

Knowing the mindset of the abuser is half the battle. When one understands that the attacker actually suffers from an illness, it becomes less personal for the victim. They have a better chance in ignoring the behavior of the bully.

There's no doubt that standing one's ground against a bully can be terrifying. However, standing up for oneself usually will produce a positive result. It completely catches the bully off guard, and forces him to change his way. There may be a significant change, or one that is small in nature. It may even cause the attacker to want to stop mental bullying, and get the help that they so desperately need.




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