Essay Example: Cause and Effect of School Bullying on Children

Bullying is a widespread issue yet an overlooked predicament in schools. It is one of the concerns that have severe consequences on the victims affected by the problem. The bullies also face a dire penalty if they are found guilty of the offense. It is a critical phenomenon that cannot be deciphered unless parents and teachers deal with the reasons why children humiliate and daunt others (Jan & Shafqat, p. 43). When the right guidance and coaching is applied, children will learn how to solve issues instead of managing them through intimidating others. The bullies use different strategies to intimidate and humiliate others, for instance, through physical strength, access to private information, power, and positions in school (Jan & Shafqat, p. 44). The causes and effects of bullying in schools encompass difference in physical appearance, race or ethnicity, learning disability, and different sexual orientation. As a result, the victims may get depression, poor academic performance, low self-esteem, social isolation, and the development of psychosomatic symptoms.

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Children who have a different physical appearance from the majority of the population for instance crippled, blind or any other form of physical disability go through bullying in schools because the tormentors can challenge them from the perspective of their weakness (Jan & Shafqat, p. 47). It frequently happens in schools that have inclusion programs because there is a one on one interaction with those who are not physically challenged. Also, children who are overweight or obese are ridiculed and tormented because of their physical appearance. Similarly, ethnicity is also another cause of bullying in schools where the victims are a minority in a learning institution (Jan & Shafqat, p. 49). In America, people of color go through intimidation and humiliation because they are different from white Americans. The people of color are considered less superior than white Americans, and as a result, they are demeaned and abused. For instance, research indicates that 35% of African American children are reportedly bullied in public schools more than any other population (Timsit, p.1). Children are also ridiculed because of their accents as foreigners, and it is a thing they cannot easily change.

Research also indicates that children with learning disabilities go through bullying from some children who do not have similar challenges. Some of the learning disabilities include dyslexia and processing deficit (Thornberg, p. 315). Children with such conditions have neurological problems, and if they are in an inclusion classroom, they tend to go through intimidation from the bullies. Similarly, bullying in school can occur as a result of the difference in sexual orientation, especially when children reach teenage and they begin to experience the desire for affection and love affairs (Thornberg, p. 315). Those who desire boyfriends and girlfriends of similar gender tend to judge and hated because of their different orientation.

Additionally, bullying can be caused by the need to fit in a particular group. Research indicates that bullying can be done as group processes where children want to identify themselves with a given group and for them to fit in they need to practice what the group engages (Hurley, p.1). In the group, everyone is assigned a role in which they have to play in the group - for instance, being a ringleader bully, defender, and reinforcer, among others. Through the tasks given, children engage in the habit of bullying others because they want to play the duty assigned and become part of the group (Hurley, p.1). Bullying can also be caused by a religious difference among children in a particular school. In America, Muslim children tend to experience high rates of bullying, as their religion is associated with terrorism.

Children who are bullied experienced challenges in school as they are psychologically settled in class. One of the effects of bullying is poor academic performance in school (Hurley, p.2). Children who are tormented get depressed and cannot concentrate in class because of the humiliation and intimidation they experience. Their psychological wellbeing is affected; they continuously have fear for school, failure to concentrate in class, and eventually, they get poor grades.

Another effect of bullying in school is that the victims develop low self-esteem because they view themselves as losers. The tormentors intimidate them while they are with other students, and they feel demeaned as a result of the embarrassment that comes along with the acts of the bullies (Hurley, p.2). The children will establish esteem issues, and their confidence is affected; such children end up having poor relationships or become incompetent in several life issues if they are not given psychological therapy.

Furthermore, children whose esteem is crushed as a result of bullying tend to go into isolation and eventually consider themselves social misfits (Jan & Shafqat, p. 50). When children plunge into isolation, they begin to doubt their self-worth as they feel less enough to anyone around them (Jan & Shafqat, p. 50). Additionally, children who are tormented tend to face psychosomatic disorders, and they will continuously be complaining of headaches, body pains, muscle aches, and other complications.

It is important to note that bullying is a phenomenon that has to be addressed as it is widespread and has dire effects on children's academic and social life. It is a global concern whose causes include; group dynamics, religious differences, ethnicity, different sexual orientation, learning, and physical disabilities. It has incredibly disastrous effects on the victims because children tend to plunge into isolation, develop psychosomatic disorders, get depression, and obtain poor grades in school. The issue can only be solved if the parents and teachers establish the reason behind the menace. Some parents are times not aware that their children are going through such issues, and therefore finding a solution becomes a challenge.

Works Cited

Hurley, Katie. Short Term and Long Term Effects of Bullying retrieved from https://www.psycom.net/effects-of-bullying

Jan, Afroz, and Shafqat Husain. "Bullying in Elementary Schools: Its Causes and Effects on Students." Journal of Education and Practice 6.19 (2015): 43-56.

Thornberg, Robert. "Schoolchildren's social representations of bullying causes." Psychology in the Schools 47.4 (2010): 311-327.

Wasatch Academy. What Are Some Common Causes of Bullying? Retrieved from https://www.wasatchacademy.org/blog/what-are-some-common-causes-of-bullying/