Bullying, it seems, has become a part of the school curriculum. Coming in various forms, bullying is a menace and threat to the societal wellbeing. It not just has an impact on the children in their present state, but also haunts them throughout their lives.
Impact on the Bullies:
The deep impact on the people bullied includes:
Table of Contents
Mental Health Issues
Bulling takes a great toll on the mental health. Not only is bullying stressful for all people, but it also breeds anxiety. Bullies people experience the entire spectrum of sad emotions; hopelessness, frustration, isolation, helplessness are all part of their daily existence.
Chronic stress also makes them vulnerable to depression. A mental disorder, depression takes effort on part of the best psychiatrist in Lahore and will of the patient to improve, as otherwise, it is hard to treat. It also is a chronic condition; hence some bullied people grapple with the disease throughout their life.
Self-Esteem Issues
As children and adolescents are more malleable, they tend to absorb the nasty comments made by the bullies rather than realize them for what they are. When the person themselves is not cognizant of their own worth, they become vulnerable and susceptible to greater manipulations by others.
Moreover, lack of self-esteem also makes people tolerant of abuse, and some even internalize the untrue and unkind things being said to them.
This then conditions the children into believing ill of their own selves, themselves. Unless broken, this mindset continues with them for life.
Reliance on Vices
Bullied children are emotionally exposed, and they grasp at anything that can give them some solace. They thus often easily get into the habit of drugs and drinking. As their numbing effects kick in, they get the much-needed reprieve from reality.
This dependence is problematic on so many levels; alongside being wrong and harmful for the body, people can also get addicted to them, especially since they offer break from the bitter realities.
Moreover, to fund these vices, many children commit crimes that land them in jails, thereby sealing their fate.
Social Anxiety
Because people are at the root of problematic behaviors, victims of bullying become jaded and wary of people. It thus becomes harder for them to socialize, which can cause them to miss out on a lot of opportunities. Many remain friendless and aloof throughout their adulthood.
Social anxiety also makes it harder to the bullied people to easily forge friendships with others.
Poor Performance in School
Stress makes it harder for people to concentrate. It also causes sleeplessness and physical problems and aches. These then have a profound impact on the grades and the entire learning process.
Moreover, due to the negative association with school, and the fear they experience at school, it further becomes harder for them to perform well.
While merits and demerits of the letter-grade system can be argued, but fact of the matter is, grades play a pivotal role in the college prospects of the students.
Hence, bullied adolescents have disproportionate access to better colleges, and thus the impact on their quality of life, throughout the adulthood is rather grave as well.
Familial Ties Effected
It not just the bullied child who suffers, but their entire family as well. Their parents may either worry over their state, guilting the child into causing destress to their parents. It can then affect their family bonds and dynamics.
On the other hand, many parents do not realize that their child is getting bullied, which further alienates the child. It can create a chasm between them as the child believes that their parent(s) did not rescue them. This discontent can continue into adulthood as well.
Changed Demeanor
Bullying causes shift in the demeanor of the child. As they fret over the jabs they receive, they become more fearful of others. Bracing for the attack on their physical bodies, they think they are can’t fight it, and so they don’t.
Moreover, perpetual bullying causes one to become resigned to the fact that they cannot change the situation, clinically known as Learned Helplessness. These then become part of the character traits as the victims grow up as well.
Also, many of the people bullied have some common traits like sensitivity, easily crying, etc. As they perceive these traits to be the root cause, many then take up counter traits like aggression and anger to counter their soft side.
Impact on the Bully
Bullying is inherently an act of narcissism. Hence, many of the bullies later turn into vile human beings who trample on others. Moreover, they also have higher tendencies towards abusing their spouse and children.
Bullies also are at risk of developing antisocial behavior. Their ruthlessness and lack of empathy can also lead to them not having good job prospects.
It is thus equally important that a bully be taken to the best psychiatrist in Karachi so they too can get the much-needed help that can prevent them from ruining other peoples’, and their own lives.