Social Interaction:

School Bullying
SOCIOLOGY 001
YIMING CHEN
History of Intimidating Behavior in
Schools

Bullying (an intentional, often repeated attempt to intimidate another

person physically or mentally) has been a pressing issue for decades,
and has been closely linked to tragic outcomes such as teen suicide
In the United States, capitalism and social stratification can be said to
contribute to bullying
In recent years, online bullying or cyber bullying has been on the rise
School Bullying and Society

There are various factors that mould societys response to

the occurrence of bullying in schools
If bullying is linked to the victimisation of another often
based on class, sexuality, race or economic status then
social stratification must also influence how society
perceives bullying
Societal stereotyping can also influence the occurrence of
bullying as well as responses to it (are people who conform
to stereotypes more likely to be victims of bullying and is it
more acceptable to pick on them because society
promotes these stereotypes?)
Societal Institutions Response to Bullying

The most vulnerable people tend to

be the most susceptible to bullying;
for instance, children with Autism
Bullying tends to take place in areas
that receive insufficient adult
supervision
Racial minorities and people of
particular social class tend to be
intimidated more often
One can therefore see bullying as a
microcosm of bigger societal issues
Evolution of school bullying

Bullying initially began in physical and verbal forms

Now that digitalization has swept the world and most
children regularly use technological devices, technology has
become a new medium for cyber bullying
Cyber bullying affects children just as greatly because smart
devices are now an essential part of their lives
Often, bullies combine physical and cyber bullying
Evolution in Social Relations

As social relations have changed in society, the nature of

bullying has evolved in response
Most significant evolutions of sociocultural milieu that have
impacted the nature of school bullying
More awareness of and campaigning against
intimidation/bullying
Digitalization, smart devices and growth of social media
platforms
Core Features of Bullying

Racial minorities tend to be

disproportionately targeted for
bullying
Peoples social status and class
position also impacts their likelihood
of becoming victims
Young people of male gender are
more likely to be the intimidators
Young people with an existing history
of poor behavior and violence are
more likely to be the intimidators
Ways to Ameliorate Social Interaction between School
Students

Implement conflict analysis

Discourage racial and class discrimination
Encourage integration along social
spectrum
More control of bullying; increase
supervision of educational areas
Clearly outlined punitive repercussions for
failing to follow codes of peaceful co-
existence
Making students aware of various
peaceful ways to reach resolutions
Define the role of parents in dealing with
school bullying
Set up monitoring of social media bullying
Who is Involved

Students as offenders or victims of intimidations

Teachers as supervisors of school behavior; those who outline
bullying policies and deal with failure to follow them as well
as suggesting alternative dispute resolution methods
Parents as home-based educators and those who instil value
in the children they raise; they may also get involved in
resolving cases of bullying that occurred in school
Counseling representatives at school may deal with cases of
bullying and other disputes amongst students
Functionalism: Perspective

Racial minorities are bullied more than other students

Some social classes are more likely to be victims of
intimidation
Students of low economic status generally have more
bullying directed at them
Conclusion

Capitalism and social stratification in the United States

caused the emergence of mainly physical and verbal forms of
bullying
Now, digitization has caused bullying to expand to
encompass cyber bullying
However, bullying remains racially and socially skewed
Conflict analysis enables us to identify ways to ameliorate its
occurrence and encourage social integration across racial
and class lines
Work Cited

Donegan, R. Bullying and Cyberbullying: History, Statistics, Law, Prevention. Elon

University. Elon, NC: Elon University Press,
Espelage, D., &. Swearer, S. Bullying in American Schools: a Social-ecological
Perspective on Prevention and Intervention. Berkeley Technology Law Journal,
24(1), 2009: 659-660.
Hinduja, Shaun., & Patchin, John. W. Cyberbullying: Cyberbullying and Suicide.
Cyberbullying Research Center, 2009.
High, Brenda. Bullycide. Washington: JBS Publishing, 2007.
Liu, William. Social Class and Classism in the Helping Professions. Los Angeles:
Sage, 2011.
Sherrow, Hogan. Origins of Bullying. Scientific American, December 15th 2011.
Wiseman, Bob. Cyberbullying in Schools: A Research Study on School Policies and
Procedures. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 2011.