Given the increase in cases of violence in the school context and the fatal outcomes that can result from the absence of early detection of such episodes, Let’s see what are the factors that precipitate and maintain these types of disturbing events
Bullying is a concept derived from the English language to refer to the set of behaviors and situations in which bullying occurs. Bullying is the type of bullying that occurs between individuals (usually minors, although not exclusively) in the school environment. There are very diverse behaviors that can be included within this taxonomy, within which there are directly physical but also covert actions, for example intimidation, tyrannization, stigmatization, isolation, threats, insults, etc.
So, the largest proportion of bullying samples go unnoticed in the presence of educators or parents of the students involved. Furthermore, it is very common that in addition to the main aggressor and victim there are many other actors who play some type of role in the harassment situation that aggravates and perpetuates it (usually supporting the figure of the aggressor). The different types of bullying correspond to the following typologies:
Profile of the aggressor in cases of bullying
The particularity that must not be taken into account is that in cases of bullying, both the victim and the aggressor present an emotional alteration derived from certain psychological problems that encourage the exercise of both one role and the other.
Thus, in the case of the aggressor, although there seems to be unanimity regarding this statement, It is very complex to establish a specific psychosocial profile Even so, knowing the particular reasons why a specific bullying situation has arisen greatly helps to be able to intervene to put an end to said episode.
Research points, in any case, to affirm that there are certain traits that aggressors share more frequently such as: low self-esteem, feelings of inferiority and need for reaffirmation through aggressiveness (motivator of aggression towards the other), provocative attitude in most social situations in general, few resources for adequate coping with conflicts and no tolerance for frustration, presence of aggressive behavior models close to him and little empathic capacity.
Thus, the functioning of the aggressor child is usually authoritarian, violent, irritable, impulsive, intolerant and usually uses these characteristics to exercise power (and assert itself) before the other. The aggressors can be direct when they exert harassment directly on the victim or indirect when they provide support or induce others to emit this type of abusive practices.
When attempts are made to investigate the factors that have led a child to engage in this type of behavior, it is observed that in many cases the family upbringing environment is not very affectionate, violent, and there is a total absence of adequate educational guidelines. Therefore, aggressive children usually put into practice what they themselves observe in their reference figures: hostile and aggressive behavior. These family environments are also characterized by great demands from parents to children in terms of school performance, extracurricular activities or social relationships.
Factors that precipitate the appearance of bullying
The so-called maintaining factors are fundamental elements that must be identified and intervened to achieve a positive evolution of the bullying episode. They can be classified depending on the area in which they originate.
So, In the family environment, parents usually present an attitude of negative affect and even rejection towards the son Furthermore, the degree of permissiveness is high when faced with the child’s aggressive behavior and there is an absence of limits in the establishment of rules and the application of consequences after them. The educational style is usually authoritarian and the use of physical and emotional punishment is very frequently used (which feeds back into the child’s violent functioning). Finally, it has been found that this type of family is linked to common traumatic or intensely stressful life events such as illnesses, for example.
In the personal area, the aspects that cause these harassing behaviors to persist mainly refer to frequent consumption of toxic substances, impulsivity and poor emotional self-control, vicarious learning of violent behaviors as a way of dealing with interpersonal or complex situations, etc.
In the school environment, sudden school changes resulting from relatively frequently changing family circumstances, excessive changes in the teaching team, a change of cycle, dynamics that are too strict or too permissive in the class group, etc., can be important factors. to consider.
Finally, at a social level, there may be a phenomenon known as “social contagion” by which the dominance or leadership of an individual added to a weak and uncritical personality on the part of the rest of the members of the group favors these types of harassment practices towards a third party. Usually, the subjects who adopt This role passively internalizes the victim, providing them with a stigmatized characterization This, being a practice shared by the entire group, dilutes the feeling of guilt for exercising this type of treatment towards the victim.
Another considerable influence is exerted by the content of the media to which young people are subjected today, very frequently without adult supervision that offers them an adequate assumption of the information viewed. Related to this, we can also talk about the values of society that are transmitted through these media, which promote success, competitiveness and power or violence as effective methods of facing any type of daily situation.
In conclusion
In the text it has been possible to verify that Many of the actions that are defined as bullying behaviors are usually very complex to detect since in many cases they do not cause visible and immediate consequences in the victims.
The most frequent form of school violence is of an insidious nature (verbal, not physical), whose psychological effect on the victims can lead to very damaging, emotionally significant consequences. Among them we can highlight: decrease in school performance and the appearance of learning difficulties that in serious episodes can lead to school failure; development of intense anticipatory anxiety symptoms at the idea of attending school, interacting with peers in the school context or a new bullying event occurring, all of which can cause the appearance of school phobia; significant deterioration in self-concept and self-esteem; appearance of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation; low expectation of achievement and learned helplessness for which the victim does not issue any type of active coping, among others.
It is crucial, therefore, to carefully analyze what type of factors (both internal and those related to the profile of the aggressor, as well as external or environmental) are contributing to this type of behavior being perpetuated in the classrooms. The action of educators, family members, as well as the values transmitted by current society seem to play an important role in all of this.
