Bullying, harassment in the classroom

Bullying, also known as bullying, is slowly becoming one of the biggest problems in education. It usually begins between 11 and 17 years of age together with their own personality changes that occur in the transition from childhood to puberty and adolescence.

Currently it is estimated that about 15% of young people ranging from that age have been victims or perpetrators of bullying incidents that can lead to serious consequences in the student's personality,

According to Dan Olweus, one of the greatest researchers of this problem, bullying occurs when "a student is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions undertaken by one or more other students." This is especially true during puberty and early adolescence, when students are at an age of growing and identity formation. During this sudden change in the lives of people, the harassment can have dire consequences for the individual.

Generally, offenders are people with a severe lack of empathy, no ability to take the place of his victims. They even have the conviction that what they do is good and it is fair that the victim is harassed.

They are the classics of the class bullies, but not have the approval of his school, end up imposing their criteria. Many times these guys have a pretty traumatic relationship with their parents or family have experienced situations similar to those which then exert on their peers.

The victim, however, is usually much more difficult to define, but usually shy children, with little communication skills, who have been overprotected and not know even function socially with ease. This puts them in a perfect vulnerability framework for the aggressors.

Importantly, involvement with both adults and peers passive aggression, with its indifference to what is happening. Many children choose silence or ignore the attacks suffered by their peers for various reasons, allowing this to continue happening.

Parents of young people, considering that what they experience is normal children may end up being as guilty as the perpetrators themselves, leaving their children to be victims or perpetrators without dealing with the importance it deserves.

Medical sources say that bullying, when persistent and prolonged, may cause short-term problems such as panic, sadness, insecurity and a sharp decline in self-esteem. But it also can have repercussions in adulthood, affecting social relations of people and confidence in themselves.

Different types of bullying

The different types of attacks experienced by students can be divided into four main types.

One of the most common are verbal intimidation that come with insults, nicknames or rumors spread among peers. They are also typical of psychological intimidation, threats consisting of the victim failed to intimidate, to get something or to force her to do something you do not want.

They are common in the physical bullying aggression, whether direct (hitting or beating) or indirect (theft, breakage of personal material). Finally, perhaps one of the most serious bullying is exercised by social isolation, which is to distract the victim of the activities of their peers, putting it off and ignoring their presence.

Racist attacks, harassment and intimidation by anonymous emails or SMS are also several newer modalities that many students used to bully their peers.

Alarming and serious consequences

To realize the true extent of the problem, one need only look at the statistics, according to a national survey developed by the Queen Sofia Center for the Study of Violence, fifteen hundred ESO students face violence in the school system.

Moving to the incidence statistics in the various attitudes that young people have with this problem, it is estimated that the repeated aggressions suffering associated with an increased risk of psychological disorders. The most direct consequences of bullying are classified into three types:

* Esclares: Fear and refusal to go to school, resulting in a decreased performance and increased likelihood of school failure.

* Personal: You can get your self-esteem has been affected, their behavior and physical appearance. Dealing with bullying is confronted with a stressful situation. Some victims generate psychosomatic symptoms, anxiety and depression. In some cases it may also trigger aggressive reactions and in extreme cases, suicidal ideation or attempts.

* Social: Loss of self confidence and isolation. Can produce in the future difficulties in establishing social relationships.

As stated by the researcher Jorge Srabstein, director of Clinical Medical Problems Associated with School Bullying Children's National Medical Center in Washington, the Argentine daily La Nacion, "Bullying among students is a silent epidemic. In extreme cases, can lead Thus even in death the boy harassed and the harasser "clearly marking the seriousness of a problem for which no clear solutions can be foreseen and which may cause long-term issues such as absenteeism, low grades or directly dropout.

As seen, the bullying can have dire consequences, simply recall the famous case of the slaughter at Columbine, where Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, two violent teenagers shunned by their peers, killed 12 students, a teacher and wounded 24 people.

By Carlos Cabezas López