Bullying And Violence: The Effects Introduction Essay

Bullying will become an increasingly important problem for parents, school, administrators, and teachers, and will affect our society at large if not prevented. People started to realize action needed to be taken. Some suggested a behavioral approach. Tamanini (2017) on the other hand, feels that the best way to prevent bullying is starting at home. There was also Cordi and Masturzo (2013) who suggested getting students to talk about bullying using fiction and non-fiction books that focus on that subject. They claim that it puts them in a safe place. Throughout time, people have created different interventions and programs and even disciplinary actions to slow down the excessive growth of bullying. Some have been successful and some not so much. Background Bullying is the act of intentionally harming someone physically, verbally, or psychologically. Bullying is often repeated over time and involves an imbalance of power. Acts of bullying include unwelcome touching, teasing and name-calling, sending threatening or mean-spirited messages (such as texts, chats, voicemails, or e-mails) or spreading of hurtful rumors. Bullying and cyberbullying, or bullying that occurs online, are sensitive issues for many children, educators, and families. Some children may be embarrassed that they have been bullied or have bullied others, so it’s important to create a safe environment, where they feel they can share their thoughts. My Position The position I have chosen to pursue is the fact that bullying starts at home. Parents must realize the effect they have on their children and the examples that they are setting. If they see you act on violence, they will do as they see and bring it to their own environment. This is a problem a lot of parents face and don’t realize that to prevent this issue it starts with them. They should even monitor their television and what they allow their kids to watch, especially at a young age. A simple show that your child watches can change their behavior instantly because what they watch they might consider it to be ok. With them being so young and not knowing any better is the best time for them to be influenced. Parents need to step up and be more involved with their children because neglect is a big issue. Parents will focus on what they have going on like work or everything else except their own kids. And that will cause them to act out. Basically, the influence of bullying sta rts at home all around. Forecast Main Points In this essay, I will discuss the cause and effect of bullying. It will touch bases on bullying starting at home and how to prevent it. It will also cover the different types of bullying and how books can help children overcome. Lastly, it will talk about how television has an impact on kid’s behavior towards bullying. Evidence It seems that kids that choose to bully others usually come from the influence of their parents. They come from a home where they see their parents fight a lot and or physical punishment is used (Tamanini, et al., 2017). She suggests that parents start taking disciplinary action on their child early. Students tend to also act out due to lack of attention from their parents, so they lash out to seek attention from others. This can include neglected children, children of divorced parents, children who come from homes where their parents abuse the use of drugs/alcohol. Tamanini (2017) stated, â€Å"Early intervention and effective discipline and boundaries truly are the best way to stop bullying, but parents of the victims or therapists cannot change the bully’s home environment† (2017). Espelage, Ryzin and Polanin (2015), studies the distal outcomes including bullying, cyberbullying, homophobic name-calling, and sexual harassment perpetration (2015). Cyberbullying is enga ging in rumor spreading through cell phone and or the internet. Homophobic name-calling is gender-based name-calling such as â€Å"gay’ or â€Å"dike†. And sexual harassment is unwanted sexual commentary or sexual rumor spreading. They used social-emotional programs to address the troubled behaviors and promote academic success. This program is meant to help young kids and teenagers become more self-aware, manage their emotions and build friendship skills. Cordi and Masturzo (2013) believe that students should use fiction and non-fiction books to talk about bullying. It helps students to feel as if they are not alone and put students in safe place. Just by reading fictional books helps them pay attention and question the choices of others. Whether a student chooses a book that is a classic or just a picture book, they can use books as aides in telling their own stories in a digital and audio form (Cordi & Masturzo, 2013). Students became very active using this method that was presented to them and they felt more comfortable.  Television shows surprisingly have a major negative effect when it comes to bullying. Take for example the show â€Å"Survivor†, which has the concept of a last-man-standing elimination game. It encourages people to form alliances to manipulate the other players just to gain their trust. Meanwhile plotting schemes of their own to go against their own alliances. According to Seale (2004), she states, †Å"These shows send the subtle but clear message to our kids that deceit, gossip, and verbal/physical aggression are perfectly acceptable ways to manipulate your social world towards your own personal gain.† (Seale, 2004). In our society, we seem to feed into the gossip, the humiliation or even the conflict. Opposing Argument Although television shows do play a role in children growing to be bullied, I do not agree that that is the only thing they do. Some shows do give out good messages. For example, the show â€Å"13 Reasons Why† talks about a young lady who had been dealing with bullying through-out her high school experience. At the end of the show, she commits suicide. But before she does, she creates 13 tapes where each person has their own tape and she explains how they played a role in why she took her life. The whole lesson of this show was to let young people know that even if you don’t think you are, you can push someone over the edge. Not everyone is as strong as you think. Some show project ways that kids themselves can intervene or even show parents how they can be more involved. Not all television shows are bad influences but still should be monitored.    Conclusion. Bullying seems to be inevitable. But it is not something that cannot be stopped or slowed down. Children and teens seem to get their bullying habits from many different sources. But one that I most agree with is that it starts at home. Parents need to pay more attention to their kids. Monitor what they watch so that media will not be an issue. Although I do know that you cannot keep everything on T.V from them, you can still educate them that what is shown on television is not always meant to be brought into real life. That the things they display aren’t always right. Parents need to also stop neglecting their children so that they will not go and seek attention in an appropriate way. Pay attention to how you act and what you say around them. Because what they learn from you they will unto others. Kids should feel comfortable in their own environment. Non-the less in their own skin. Students tend to see bullying as power. It is highly recommended that parents get involved with their children in bullying programs and become more engaged in the matter. References Cordi, K., & Masturzo, K. (2013). Using literature and digital storytelling to create a safe place to address bullying. Voices from the Middle, 20(3), 21-26. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/1324444987?accountid=27203Espelage, D. L., Low, S., Van Ryzin, M., J., & Polanin, J. R. (2015). A clinical trial of the second step middle school program: Impact on bullying, cyberbullying, homophobic teasing, and sexual harassment perpetration. School Psychology Review, 44(4), 464-479. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/1770814955?accountid=27203Tamanini, K. (2016). How Do We Stop Bullying in Schools?. Psych Central. Retrieved on November 16, 2017, From https://psychcentral.com/lib/how-do-we-stop-bullying-in-schools/ Seale, A., (2004). Divorce Help & Family Divorce Information. Television Bullying and the Role of the Media. p. 9. Retrieved from http://www.keepyourchildsafe.org/bullying/media-television-bullying.html