Brett Millecam

Jay Williams
Comm 1080
23 October 2014

Power Imbalances with Bullying

When John enters a school cafeteria, he is confronted by Brock and a group of Brock's friends.
They make it clear that if John does not hand over his lunch money, he will be beaten up, his clothes
with be torn and his arms will be bruised. In a separate incident, a teacher berates a student in front of
the entire class: Jordan, you must have left your brain at home again. When are you going to be on
time, become more responsible and bring your paper in on time?
These scenarios between John and Brock, Jordan and his teacher, are examples of bullying a
form of aggression in which there is an imbalance of power. The first incident illustrates face-to-face
bullying. The second is more subtle in that it is an aggressive act exhibited by an authority figure. Both
scenarios reinforce the persuasive notion that the powerful have the right to intimidate the powerless.
The negative consequences of power in bullying are: permanent effects on the body and mind of
young people. Researchers have found that bullying has a lasting effect on the health of kids who are
repeatedly targeted. Bullying is linked to poor mental and physical health, increased symptoms of
depression and lower self-esteem (Nierenberg 2014).
There are several social and historical views that effect this balance of power. Many people
harbor misconceptions about childhood bullying. They believe that is usually perpetuated by boys, and
the victims of bullying may have been asking for it. They also incorrectly feel that children who are
bullies will eventually grow out of it. As adults we often see bullying behavior in children and often
think, well thats just how kids are. Bullying, however, is not something that just happens in school.
It is a persuasive often glorified element of our society. From hostile corporate takeovers, to violent

video games, from nation politics, to the media's treatment of aggression (Nierenberg 2014).
Power issues have a great impact on communication, or the lack thereof. There are many
reasons why victims of bullying wont speak out.
1) They feel ashamed or embarrassed.
2) Feel pressure to be quiet.
3) Concerned nobody will believe them
4) Assume adults expect them to deal with it.
While bullying continues to be a huge problem. There are steps available to help us prevent the
problems from spreading any further. One step is to involve students and parents. Students and parents
need to be a part of the solution and involved in safety teams and anti-bullying task forces. Students
can inform adults about what is really going on and also teach adults about new technologies that kids
are using to bully (APA 2011). Preventing and stopping bullying involves a commitment to creating a
safe environment where children can thrive, socially and academically, without being afraid.

Work Cited

American Psychological Association. (2011). Bullying: how parents, teachers, and kids can take
action to prevent bullying. Retrieved from <http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/bullying.aspx?
item=5>
Nierenber, C. (2014). Bullying has lingering effects on children's mental health. Livescience.
Retrieved from <http://www.livescience.com/43431-bullying-effects-children-mentalhealth.html>