Bullying is an aggressive and extremely unpleasant behaviour of one person or group of people to others accompanied by constant physical and psychological influence.
There are many reasons of it, anyone can become a victim.
According to statistics 80% of Ukrainian children are bullied without even realizing it. In all social systems there is always a leader, a middle group and a so-called “exile”.
What to do when you witness bullying?
- Intervene and stop bullying – bullying should not be ignored.
- Take a neutral position in the dispute – both sides of the conflict need help.
- Identify bullying and explain how it can be stopped.
- Avoid the words “victim” and “aggressor” to prevent branding and division of roles.
- Inform the administration of the educational institution about the current situation and demand to take measures to stop the harassment.
- Situations with physical violence require immediate intervention.
How to deal with the situation yourself
- Ignore the offender. If possible, try to avoid quarrels, pretend you don’t care and walk away.
- If the situation does not allow you to leave, use humour. This can confuse the offender(s), distract him / her from intending to annoy you.
- Restrain anger and rage. After all, this is exactly what the offender wants. Speak calmly and confidently.
- Do not fight. The offender is just waiting for an excuse to use force. The more aggressive you react, the more you are likely to be in a situation that threatens your safety and health.
- Feel free to discuss such threatening situations with people you trust.
The psychological service of SNAU joined the action “STOP BULLING”.
On the 28th of October the practical psychologists of Sumy NAU discussed this topic with students. Daryna Vereshchahina and Liudmyla Mykhailenko told about the types of bullying as well as how to deal with it.
Bullying affects everyone who participates in it or observes it and has destructive consequences in future.
