We can say that the bullying it's like a contagious disease, as this behavior can spread from person to person as it happens. When the aggressor is adult, adult bullying occurs, and it can be said that, for those children who are under their care, the damage can be even greater. Keep reading and find out how adult bullying is contagious and how to decrease it.
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What is bullying?
According to psychologist Rossandro Klinjey, bullying is any intentionally aggressive behavior that harms or causes discomfort to others. It can take many different forms, from using specific words to physical violence, sometimes happening without the knowledge of those around.
Research conducted on adult bullying
Molly Smith and Alan McEvoy found, in a study of over 1,000 American teachers, that most of them are respectful and empathetic to their students. However, schools often hire at least one or two teachers who use their position of authority and trust to intimidate.
It is worrying that the culture of education as a whole has become contaminated, not just the students who must deal with abusive behavior from these types of teachers. The results imply that when a teacher engages in bullying, the effect is contagious.
The neurological consequences of bullying in children
In one of her studies, professor Tracy Vaillancourt found links between very high cortisol, depressive symptoms and impaired memory in students who are bullied. As a result, according to neuroscience research, children who witness or participate in bullying and abuse can have permanently elevated cortisol levels, which is detrimental to the brain.
But they are not just teachers. According to research, adults who bully children at home often have their own mental illness or psychiatric disorders, and their negative behavior can put children in a vicious cycle of bullying.
Ideas to help stop adult bullying
- Educate the population: The outdated stigma that makes mental health a moral issue needs to be replaced. Thus, one of the ways to improve, in this sense, is certainly present in education for all ages;
- Assessment of adult and child mental health: Adults and children alike can benefit from being regularly evaluated for mental health issues. Thus, if necessary, they will undergo intensive healing and recovery, just as if the illness were physical and contagious;
- Getting abusers the help they need: If bullies and abusers were treated with therapeutic interventions and rehabilitation, rather than unresolved guilt and grief, the epidemic of bullying and abuse could be brought under control more efficient.
