Bullying Is Not New, And It - 1638 Words

Everyone hears the story. It happens almost too much and sometimes just an ordinary day of a teenager’s life. A young teenager comes home crying to her mother that she was picked on at school. Her best friend made fun of what she was wearing, did not sit with her at lunch, and talked about her behind her back. Everyone has gone through this sometime in their life—being teased or picked on. However, when does it come to the point of bullying? The topic of bullying is not new, and it happens to more teenagers than what we would like to think. Bullying can be defined as verbal, emotional, or physical abuse by means of threatening, intimidating, or frightening someone smaller or weaker than the aggressor. Bullying can also involve exclusion,†¦show more content†¦The behavior of the violence among girls may have a serious impact on the rise of bullying in recent years. For violence against peers, a study found that â€Å"the most common reasons youth were violent t oward peers was to punish them for something done or said, to get them back down from offensive actions, and in self-defense† (Zahn 11). A clearly sustainable defense of bullying, one would say. Behind physical violence as the most frequent predecessor for violence, the next common trigger of violence is verbal exchanges. This is most common among girl bullies. Definition of violence against peers included â€Å"trying to damage the social standing or self-esteem of peers by using verbal rejection, gossip, rumor spreading, and social ostracism† (Zahn 11). These triggers initiate bullying among teenage girls, and can sometimes result in physical violence. Research shows that girls are more violent in middle school than in high school against their peers. Whereas boys are more likely to be more direct with bullying, such as fighting, girls use indirect bullying through relational aggression, which includes spreading rumors, gossiping, or exclusion of others. Although less physical, the use of verbal bullying causes serious emotional damage among the victims. Reasons for girls bullying may include: gaining social status, defending their own reputation, being picked on th emselves, having poor role models, or