The Bully
‘Besides hurting others, bullies damage themselves.’ People who bully another person are usually fiery, overly confident and do not like to follow rules. They often lack empathy and enjoy inflicting pain on others. Sometimes children bully in groups, they join these groups because they look up to the bully and want to impress him or her. They also join these groups because they are afraid and don’t want to be attacked or bullied themselves. Bullies often fail to develop the social skills of sharing, reciprocating, empathizing, and negotiating that form the basis for lasting friendships.
As children mature into adulthood, children who
have bullied others often show higher rates of: • Aggression • Antisocial behaviour • Difficulty controlling their emotions • Traffic violations • Carrying weapons to school • Depression • Suicides • Dropping out of high school • Convictions for crime • Convictions for drunk driving |
In a follow-up study of boys in grades 6 through 9, bullies were found to be four times more likely than their non-bullying peers to be convicted of at least one crime by the age of 24. Surprisingly, 60% of these former bullies had committed at least one crime, and 35% had committed three or more crimes.
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