Bullying is an aggressive behavior caused by the abuser to a victim, which may result in critically negative consequences in short-term and long-term perspectives. It is an intentional act made by the most powerful person in a group (Shetgiri et al., 2012). Bullying is divided into the following types: physical, emotional, and social (CDC, 2018). Environment plays a crucial role in a child’s disposition to bullying. Bronfenbrenner developed a theory that involves five systems that describe children’s interactions with their environments (Mcleod, 2023). The Microsystem is the first level of the theory and focuses on the closest surroundings, such as family and school (Mcleod, 2023).
These components strongly impact a child’s predisposition to bullying, as they spend the most time together. If parents behave brutally with their children, the negative consequences are hard to avoid. The Mesosystem describes the interaction between a child’s microsystems, influencing each other (Mcleod, 2023). For example, inappropriate communication between teacher and parent may have unfavorable outcomes for a child and develop their bullying disposal habits.
The following systems affect behavior indirectly, having negative results in the future. The Exosystem indirectly impacts a child by affecting one of the microsystems (Mcleod, 2023). For example, parents’ employers may cause psychological damage to a family member, consequently influencing a child and their bullying behavior. The Macrosystem is connected with cultural and social components that surround a child (Mcleod, 2023). Factors such as socioeconomic status, the family’s financial stability, race, or ethnicity also impact a child’s personality growth. Bullying behavior may be developed if these aspects are revealed from the negative side. Eventually, the Chronosystem involves changes in environments, such as age transitions or historical life episodes (Mcleod, 2023). A child may be prone to bullying more if they go through school changes or their parent’s divorce.
There are different data on bullying discussions and methods of avoidance. The statistics show that the most significant factors influencing bullying are attitude toward school, economic status, and age (Çalışkan et al., 2019). This data follows Bronfenbrenner’s theory, mentioning the Macrosystem and Chronosystem components. One of the solutions to reduce bullying is actively involving future parents in groups that teach them to set the right environment for their future children to avoid bullying. As a result, such compulsory courses provided by the government will decrease the negative statistics.
References
Çalışkan, Z., Evgin, D., Bayat, M., Caner, N., Kaplan, B., Öztürk, A., & Keklik, D. (2019). Peer bullying in the preadolescent stage: Frequency and types of bullying and the affecting factors. The Journal of Pediatric Research, 6(3), 169-179. Web.
CDC (2018). Preventing bullying. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.
Mcleod, S. (2023). Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems theory. Simply Psychology. Web.
Shetgiri, R., Lin, H., Avila, R. M., & Flores, G. (2012). Parental characteristics associated with bullying perpetration in US children aged 10 to 17 years. American Journal of Public Health, 102(12), 2280–2286. Web.
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