Help & Information
Are You Displaying Bullying Behaviour Towards Someone?
Recognising bullying behaviour in others is quite easy but are we able to see those behaviours in ourselves as we are all capable of bullying behaviour?
If you have been told by others that you are demonstrating bullying behaviour towards another person, it is important to stay calm recognise it and endeavour to stop it. Where others have been hurt, it is important to take action to put things right.
If you’ve been called a bully, it means that someone is telling you that your behaviour is not okay. That’s because bullying behaviour is a serious issue that can cause all people involved real harm. For the person being bullied, it’s a very stressful experience that can have a serious and long-term impact on their life. It also can cause stress for the people who see it happening, who may feel helpless and afraid that they’ll be next.
If you’ve been called a ‘bully’, you have a chance to:
- take responsibility for and change the way you treat others
- stop causing others to feel helpless or unsafe
- help find a way forward so everyone involved can coexist without feeling blame or shame.
Bullying behaviour is NOT a laugh or a joke. It creates a culture of fear and can have a devastating effect on the mental health and well-being of those involved.
Being bullied can seriously affect a person’s physical, emotional, academic and social well-being. Many sufferers of bullying lack confidence, feel bad about themselves, have few friends and spend a lot of time alone. If you are displaying bullying behaviour towards somebody, is this how you really want to make them feel? Probably not. Which is why it is important to address your behaviour.
Think about why you’ve behaved in that way. Has anything upset or hurt you to lead to you displaying this kind of behaviour? Although not an excuse for bullying someone, sometimes when a person has been hurt, they do take it out on someone else.
Why do people display bullying behaviour?
According to research from http://www.ditchthelabel.org some people display bullying behaviour because they are looking to gain a feeling of power, purpose and control over another person. But of course, there are other reasons too:
- To gain attention
- To take things from someone
- They might be jealous of the person they are hurting
- They may be feeling unhappy and/or insecure
- They may have been bullied themselves
- They’re using bullying behaviour as a defence mechanism and feel by hurting others, they’re immune to being bullied themselves
- They have low self-esteem
- They have a difficult home life
- Sometimes, a person is displaying bullying behaviour and does not realise they’re doing it or the effect it is having on others
Whilst this doesn’t condone what they do, understanding what might be behind their behaviour can sometimes help the situation and ensure they receive the relevant help and support needed to encourage them to explore their own feelings, understand what led to the behaviour and what needs to change.
