The Impact of Social Issues on Children Development - Essay Example

Running Head: Issues and Children’s Development Issues and Children’s Development [Institute’s Issues and Children’s Development Effects on Bullying on Children Bullying is one of the most widely discussed and researched topics in psychology and child development. This is because of the fact that this phenomenon is becoming more and more common within children the entire world, over the past few decades. Psychologists and experts (Elliott, pp. 25-145, 2002) have not been able to come up with a universally accepted agreed definition of bullying despite the fact that these definitional differences do not contribute to create considerable differences on basic concept of bullying. After going through a variety of diverse definitions of bullying, one can conclude, “Bullying refers to deliberate or hostile and repeated actions of an individual or a group of people on other mentally or physically weak individual or group of people, that are meant to create unconstructive or harmful effects on the subject” (Garrett, pp. 24-78, 2003). It is imperative here to make a distinction between competitive and healthy teasing and bullying. Competitive and healthy teasing contributes positively to ones growth; however, bullying is entirely negative in both short and long term for an individual. Bullying can be of one of its various forms. Verbal teasing, physical aggression, conspiracies, name-calling, making fun of others, social rejection and exclusion and spreading nasty rumors are all forms of bullying (Morrison, pp. 42-48, 2007). In short bullying can be in any of its three basic forms: verbally, physically or socially. In addition, a vital way in understanding the concept of bullying by using the three dimensions of “power”, “frequency” and “intent” to harm (Ross, pp. 9-51, 2003). Bullying happens when there is a power imbalance between children. Those who bully obtain their power through their physical size, emotional strength and social status. Once bullies get the power, they try to make sure that they show and exert their power on every weak subject (Gueri, & Hennessy, pp. 56-159, 2003). Moreover, the frequency of bullying cannot be predicted but one this is for sure that most of the times bullying tends to be repetitive in nature. This is what makes bullying so destructive and a nightmare of the victim because he or she then always lives in the fear of reoccurrence of the incident. Mostly bullies do not intent to harm the victims consciously; however, when giving harm is the conscious aim, then situation turns highly risky (Ross, pp. 9-51, 2003). Latest researches and investigations show that at least one-third of students in primary schools report that the have faced bullying within a given term. This percentage increases to more than 75 percent when it comes to whole childhood, which means that approximately three out of every four individuals would answer positively when asked that have they experienced bullying at least once in their entire life (Geffner, Jaffe, & Sudermann, pp. 7-83, 2000). “However, around 15 to 20 percent of the children in the sample reported that they have been involved in bullying other in some way or the other” (Morrison, pp. 42-48, 2007). In addition, research also indicates that this trend decreases, as the children grow older, since primary schools indicate more percentage of bullying than the secondary schools. “Research also indicates that boys are more likely to engage in physical bullying and girls tend to be more of verbal bullies. Then thing that hurts a lot of parents and researchers from this study is, that it shows that almost more than 160,000 students only in the United States chose not to go to school juts because of the fear of bullying” (Morrison, pp. 42-48, 2007). In addition, seven percent of the primary school students do not go to school at least once in 30 days just because they try to save themselves with the potential bullying. Surprisingly, other form of bullying that is becoming common is harassment in bathrooms and almost 43 percent of primary students have faced physical harassment in bathrooms. As indicated above that the phenomenon of bullying has been in the spotlight for quite some time and a lot of researched has been done to understand various psychological aspects of the bullies and victims. Bullies are often attention seeking, crushing, control freaks and individuals who try to get hold of the external world through fair or unfair means (Morrison, pp. 42-48, 2007). They show jealousy when they are exposed to success stories of their colleagues and they completely refuse to praise the acknowledgment of others. The worst part is that bullies do not find anything wrong with their unfair behavior and regard it as a part of their character. They think that they are good leaders and since people surround them, so they are famous. However, in reality all the respect and attention they get is out of fear and their negative actions. In short, bullies are immature, coward, weak, volatile people who fail to show disciplined behavior, and at the end, they pay the price of it (Gueri, & Hennessy, pp. 56-159, 2003). In the next stage, it is vital to understand the effects and consequences of bullying on students both in short and long term. It is imperative to answer a chief question at this stage. According to the above-mentioned data, bullying is very common in almost all the schools across the globe, does this mean that bullying should be accepted as a part of life and as something, which would be helpful in preparing students and children for the brutal and bloodthirsty world of future that they will be facing (Vitali, & Brouillard, pp. 23-188, 2007). Experts, researchers, parents and others unanimously reject this hypothesis (Gueri, & Hennessy, pp. 56-159, 2003). This is because bullying has some serious, dangerous and destructive effects on the physical and more prominently mental health of children. The long-term negative effects of bullying are not only on victims but also on bullies as well. It is quite understandable that bullying has some sort of directs links with reduced self esteem, difficulty in concentrating, health problems like headaches, tummy aches, increased stress levels (Gueri, & Hennessy, pp. 56-159, 2003), depression, anxiety, obsessiveness. In addition, it also causes “hypertension, loss of humor, hyperawareness, irritability, tearfulness, insecurity, sense of isolation” (Morrison, pp. 42-48, 2007), “desperation, shyness, excessive biting, teeth grinding, indecision, use of drugs, phobias, low self-image, low self-worth, low self worth, fear, sleeping disorders, embarrassments, impaired memory, hopelessness etc” (Morrison, pp. 42-48, 2007). It is worth considering here that if a child faces all of even some of these elements in the early years of his or her life then how dangerous it would be for him for the coming years. Researchers (Vitali, & Brouillard, pp. 23-188, 2007) have proved that whatever impact is left on an individual in the early years magnifies in the future years. Therefore, you can expect the sufferer to avoid gatherings and crowd when he grows up as individual. Effects of Divorce on Children It is evident that at least in the western world the concept of permanent nuclear families is becoming obsolete and now more and more families or couples are breaking up because the find themselves in a situation where they think that the status quo is a nightmare. The worst part is that parents at time consider only themselves as the stakeholders in the process of divorce. However, they do not get affected as much as they children do. This is because adults move on with their new life but one cannot even imagine that how pain giving the transition of divorce is, for the children. Another significant dimension is that divorce studies now consider divorce as an ongoing process and not merely as an event of legal separation (Clarke-Stewart, & Brentano, pp. 12-129, 2006). The way in which divorce affects children is not at the time of divorce but also pre event considerations and post divorce happenings also contribute to the overall scenario. This is because the couples that go to the divorce road normally take this way after years of stress, tension, emotional and physical separation, dissatisfaction, discussing about separation and bitterness between couples (Campbell, pp. 25-89, 2006). Obviously, this environment also contributes to harmful effects on children despite the fact that yet the actual legal divorce is yet to come. The effects of divorce of children are not at all encouraging. For the past few decades, as the phenomenon of divorce is becoming more and more common, it is becoming a common subject for child psychologists as well. Child studies have shown that children are sensitive and not good with coping change especially in the early years of their life. They take time in adjusting, understanding, learning and establishing a relationship with the external environment. Once they are done with it, then they resist any possible change. Obviously, this transition of change, temporariness and transformation is something, which one is supposed to face when he or she reaches the adult group mark because only then you have the physical and mental capability to adjust with the new environment (Howing, pp. 256-287, 1993). For a child, it obviously is frightening to do things for which they are mentally, physically, and emotionally incapable of doing. A child that witnesses their parents fighting with each other and hating each other learn these behaviors from home and exhibit these outside in schools or their social groups. Research has also shown that parents who are busy wasting their time and energy in these pre divorce fights, conflicts and hate become inconsistent in giving sufficient time to their children (Campbell, pp. 25-89, 2006). Children also witness decreased parental attention, decreased love and well-being from parents, which in turn result in problematic situations in children’s academic, social and emotional life (Gimpel, & Holland, pp. 45-89, 2003). Studies (Everett, pp. 42- 56, 89-245, 1994) have also shown that children from divorced parents earn lower grades and they were rated low on scales of being pleasant to be around. In addition, statistics have shown that children living with their biological parents are around twenty to thirty percent more physically healthy as compared with children living with a single parent (Everett, pp. 42- 56, 89-245, 1994). Moreover, children from divorced parent are more four times more likely to be aggressive, experience injuries, depressive, lonely and anxious. Some even more heart breaking facts are yet to come. It is also calculated that children coming from broken homes are twice as likely to commit suicide as compared to others (Campbell, pp. 25-89, 2006). References Campbell, Susan B. (2006). Behavior problems in preschool children: clinical and developmental issues. Ford Press. Clarke-Stewart, Alison, & Brentano, Cornelia. (2006). Divorce: causes and consequences. Yale University Press. Elliott, Michele. (2002). Bullying: a practical guide to coping for schools. Pearson Education. Everett, Craig A. (1994). The economics of divorce: The effects on parents and children. Routledge. Garrett, Anne G. (2003). Bullying in American schools: Causes, preventions, interventions. McFarland. Geffner, Robert, Jaffe, Peter G., & Sudermann, Marlies. (2000). Children exposed to domestic violence: Current issues in research, intervention, prevention, and policy development. Routledge. Gimpel, Gretchen A., & Holland, Melissa L. (2003). Emotional and behavioral problems of young children: Effective interventions in the preschool and kindergarten years. Guilford Press. Guerin, Suzanne, & Hennessy, Eilis. (2003). Aggression and bullying. Wiley-Blackwell. Howing, Phyllis T. (1993). Maltreatment and the school-age child: Developmental outcomes and system issues. Routledge Press. Morrison, Brenda. (2007). Restoring safe school communities: A whole school response to bullying, violence and alienation. Federation Press. Ross, Dorothea M. (2003). Childhood bullying, teasing, and violence: What school personnel, other professionals, and parents can do? American Counseling Association. Vitali, Keith, & Brouillard, Adam. (2007). Bullyproof Your Child: An Experts Advice on Teaching Children to Defend Themselves. Skyhorse Publishing Inc. Read More