Bullying
Why do children bully?
- To gain a sense of power or control
- To win recognition and status from peers.
- Compensate for feelings of inadequacy.
- They may have learning problems at school.
- See violence as a positive quality.
- Have low self esteem, feel insecure and friendless.
- Be mean minded and have a negative view of the world.
- Be emotionally unstable and operate in socially dysfunctional ways.
- They have been bullied themselves.
Children are not born bullies. Bullies are made. Often these children come from homes where there is a lack of warmth and affection. They may have parents who are aggressive, given to angry outbursts and violent behaviour.
An alarming pattern is that children who bully often grow up to have problems with relationships, be abusive to their spouses and children, and in their turn, these children are aggressive.
The challenge for those who work with aggressive children is to break the cycle of violence.