Key Bullying Misconceptions

The scourge of bullying refuses to go away from our schools and a major reason for it to still remain in vogue is the lack of seriousness on part of educationists and parents to eradicate the menace. Seriousness is the key, whenever we encounter a case of bullying; most of us have a habit of laughing it off. There is always a possibility of physical as well as mental harm being caused to a victim with bullying and therefore cases of bullying should be taken very seriously. This article will cover some key misconceptions that we have about bullies and bullying.

Bullies Suffer From Low Self Esteem

Apart from being totally baseless, this misconception is commonly touted by many educationists as cause of bullying. In fact most bullies in schools and even at workplaces are confident and popular among their locality. On the contrary some people are of the belief that it is only because of their popularity and higher confidence that bullies are able to bully people around them.

Bullies Want to Win Over Friends

To win over their friends, bullies often resort to teasing and bullying other people just to show their friends that they are superior to others.

People Who Are Facing Bullying Should Stand Up For Themselves

This is one of the most stereotypical myth that has more to do with the depiction of bullies and how people handle them in television shows and movies than in real life. People should understand that bullying is a part and parcel of the game and every kid has to grow up with bullying some time or the other. Thinking that you can stand up to bullies and teach them a lesson can lead to serious consequences for the victim or for the bully.

Although bullying is never advised and should not be tolerated, allowing bullies to continue bullying is not a good thing. Bullying can not only ruin a person’s life, it can also make serious personality changes in one’s identity. While bullies are the ones that suffer from dented personalities, bullying victims can suffer from problems like self doubt, low self esteem and depression.

Bullying Only Happens In Schools

Definitely a myth, bullying is not limited only till high school. We can see occurrences of bullying in offices and corporate houses where seniors try to undermine and make fun of juniors just for the heck of it. Totally uncalled for, office bullying should be stopped as soon as possible. Apart from this, we can also see cases of bullying in our neighborhood where kids from other locality try to make fun of other children.

Only Boys Bully

While this may be true to an extent, there is no scientific data or study to prove it. It can rightly be said that girls can also be bullies but their bullying is not as apparent like what boys do. While a boy bully is most likely to do physical harm, girls on the other hand will perform emotional bullying by spreading rumors and humiliating people.

It’s Not A Big Deal!

Ignoring bullying is like promoting bullying! Many parents do not give it a serious thought until something really bad has happened.