The Role of Aggression in Bullying and Suicide: Bullying and Suicide - Essay Example

Here Here Here Here The Role of Aggression in Bullying and Suicide Bullying and Suicide In contemporary Western society, the act of bullying among youth has become a serious issue with severe consequences. While a small amount of conflict may be normal in peer relationships during childhood and adolescence, bullying goes beyond the expected and presents a substantial threat to the victims’ well being and the development as well as maintenance of social relationships. Bullying, as defined in Nansel et al. (2094), occurs when a more powerful party enacts behaviors that are intended to cause harm against a weaker party repeatedly over time. Bullying can occur in a variety of ways. Personal encounters may be marked by physical and/or verbal attacks, while rumor spreading can be considered as a “behind-the-back” form of bullying if it occurs repeatedly over time. These behaviors have been observed throughout much of recorded history, but a more recent development in technology has added another pathway through which bullying may occur (possibly even more severely than in traditional situations). The Internet has become ubiquitous in today’s Western society, as access to the information superhighway is now a necessity for virtually every educational and social situation. Unfortunately, for all the promise exhibited by this vast connectivity, the occurrence of cyberbullying has become a serious and deadly part of virtual reality. A 2011 article by Klomek, Sourander, and Gould (1) reviews a considerable amount of research on the relationship between bullying and suicide. Public concern has reached a high point regarding this topic following the publicized deaths of several youth who had been victims of cyberbullying, although it is still unclear if bullying via the Internet has lead to an increase in suicides (compared to victims of traditional bullying) or only an increase in media coverage. These authors present information relating to bullying as a whole (rather than traditional vs. cyber), and find that victims of bullying are more likely to experience depression, suicidal ideation, and attempted suicide. Additionally, those who commit bullying behaviors are at a higher risk for suicidal ideation and behaviors than students who are not involved in bullying from either perspective. The seriousness of these findings cannot be overlooked, and further research will be required to determine the best manner of intervention with which to address this issue. Aggression Behaviors that are associated with bullying are also designated as being aggressive. Some definitions may even describe bullying as a specific type of aggressive behavior (Nansel et al. 2094). According to Anderson and Bushman (27), the primary characteristic of aggressive behavior is intent to cause harm. A behavior loses its aggressive quality without intent, and even those behaviors that cause collateral damage cannot be considered aggressive if they lack the intention to cause harm. If bullying is a form of aggression, then it must always be fueled by the goal of causing distress to another person. There are three categorical forms of aggression. Verbal aggression is the use of words and language to harm another person, relative aggression refers to indirect causes of harm such as spreading rumors, and direct or physical aggression, as one may expect, refers to causing physical harm to a person in the form of an assault or other injurious behavior. Verbal aggression can be indirect or direct. Additionally, from a social science perspective, aggression can be instrumental or emotional. Instrumental aggression causes harm for the sake of personal gain, while emotional aggression causes harm for the sake of causing harm. However, the first of these definitions lacks clarity regarding intent of harm (would it be avoided if possible?) and therefore may not meet the full definition of aggression. The origin of aggression is a widely debated topic that can often be reduced to the nature vs. nurture argument. Natural perspectives include Freud’s theory that aggression arises from the outward reflection of a death instinct (the desire to escape life’s stresses by dying), biological studies that support the role of genetics, and individual differences in personality traits. Evidence also suggests that higher testosterone and lower serotonin levels are both associated with an increase in aggressive behaviors. The nurture side of the debate gains support from Bandura’s social learning theory which states that behavior is gained through observation and direct experiences with rewards and punishments. Gender roles also appear to have an effect on aggression as males in many cultures are driven to have some amount of aggression, while it is greatly opposed in females. Evidence suggests that men may be more aggressive than females, but this may be due to different types of aggression used (physical vs. indirect) than the intensity of the experience (Anderson and Bushman 27). Also, cultural factors may come into play as some cultures value aggression as a response to challenges more than others (ex: American South vs. American North or the whole US vs. Canada). It would appear that aggression might be best understood as a product of both nature and nurture. Theoretical Conclusions Bullying is a serious problem among youth in contemporary Western society. The advancement of the Internet has created another route for bullying, and suicides related to bullying continue to be highly visible in the media. Aggression appears to play a large role in the occurrence of bullying. Verbal, indirect, and/or direct forms of aggression can all be employed as a form of bullying, as they all share the trait of causing intentional harm to others. Accordingly, a reduction of bullying may be achieved through interventions that are aimed at decreasing aggression. Aggression may be the product of both natural and environmental factors. In order to effectively reduce aggression among youths, a suitable intervention will need to address variables from both perspectives. Some form of psychotherapy may be applicable in alleviating aggressive actions that have arisen due to the death instinct described by Freud. Genetic treatments are less promising, as the exact gene combination responsible for aggression has yet to be uncovered (if it does in fact exist), but the treatment of aggressive tendencies in early childhood may prevent the development of more serious behavioral problems and potential bullying in future social interactions. Testosterone and serotonin management holds promise as a direct treatment for aggression through medication and related interventions. Sociocultural interventions are needed to treat the environmental variables that produce aggressive behaviors in youth. Primarily, the promotion of aggression in young boys should be eliminated or at least greatly reduced. This change would have to begin at home, and is largely the responsibility of the parent(s) or caregiver(s). Additionally, we must be careful not to reinforce unwanted behaviors such as aggression if we are to reduce the chances of it becoming a serious problem in daily life. The alteration of tradition is a much more daunting task, as cultural aggression has become embedded in the very grain of personal identity. Still, we must attempt to reduce aggression among youth if we hope to reduce and ultimately eliminate the severe consequences associated with bullying. Works Cited Anderson, C. A., and B. J. Bushman. “Human Aggression.” Annual Review of Psychology 53 (2002): 27-51. Print. Klomek, Anat B., Andre Sourander, and Madelyn Gould. “Bullying and Suicide: Detection and Intervention.” Psychiatric Times 28.2 (2011): 1-6. Print. Nansel, Tonja R., et al. “Bullying Behaviors Among US Youth: Prevalence and Association with Psychological Adjustment.” Journal of the American Medical Association 285.16 (2001): 2094-100. Print. Read More