Fear

by Lucy Maguire

Created on: June 08, 2010

Fear and insecurity are the root cause of any bully's actions, whether they be physical or emotional types of bullying. Much of this displaced aggression stems from encounters within early or middle childhood either amongst siblings or due to the family unit being compromised. Bullying behavior is triggered by an individuals' feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem, which in turn feeds a desire for power and the ability to control situations and people, by any means possible.

A bully, generally is an individual with emotional coping issues who has been affected or scarred by an issue in their past, whether it be abuse, separation of parents, divorce, death or experience of bullying personally. An individuals' coping mechanism is shaped by their sociological background, education and interaction with others. Generally, the ability to cope with emotional issues is nurtured and stimulated by our parents or family, from whom we learn our morals, values and methods of interaction. Individuals who have lacked this type of emotional development for whatever reason, are more likely to be the ones who deal less effectively with general emotional issues. Another common factor contributing to the mind-set of a bully is repression. Individuals who are taught to hide their feelings, or are repressed by another in expressing their emotional state, are more likely to repeat this behavior within their own social relationships as it is all they have ever known. Additionally, a bully may use controlling behavior to manipulate a situation they are uncomfortable with, and also utilize it as an emotional coping mechanism to deal with emotional issues.

Throughout the years, research into the age-old issue of bullying has found that individuals who use tactical, oppressive, physical and mental methods to control and manipulate others, do so in part to aid their own popularity, or gain acceptance among peers. In a study conducted in the Netherlands in March 2010, (and subsequently published in Child Development magazine), it was deduced that males generally sought the approval of other males when using bullying, and females sought the approval of other females. This specific behavior is also relative to other species of mammals in the wild, and is a natural method of establishing a hierarchy within a social unit, so it could be said that humans are using natural instinct to establish social position.

Studies have shown that the general reason a bully conducts his/ her behavior towards others in an aggressive or controlling manner is due to the fear of not being noticed. A bully will often employ more aggressive, physical or threatening tactics if they feel there actions are not getting them attention. A bully generally does not care what type of attention they attract, whether it be positive or negative, as this controlling power influences their popularity. Often, the more extreme their behavior, the more likely it will be that people will talk about it, propelling that person to the center of attention.

Fear drives humans to act in many ways, and our desire to control situations when others make us feel powerless is what fuels us to manipulate others. Due to their own experiences, a bully is more able to identify the quieter members within a social group who perhaps have emotional issues (and deal with them in an alternate way), and picks upon these subjects as they are easy targets. It is not often a bully will seek out someone they feel is of equal power or capability to them for fear of losing fight or face. The same applies again in the animal kingdom, a dominant member within a social group tends to pick at the weaker ones, demonstrating their power to others, contributing the theory of survival of the fittest.

As we are all aware, fear of anything can be the darkest and most provoking emotion alongside loneliness, and it is perhaps both of these coupled which motivates a bully to manipulate attention. Individuals who have trouble expressing emotions, demonstrate their anxiety in bursts of anger and frustration, often toward weaker members within their social set who will not fight back. A bully rarely expects a victim to fight back, which only adds to their power.

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