“Bullying among children is understood as repeated, negative acts committed by one or more children against another. These negative acts may be physical or verbal in nature -- for example, hitting or kicking, teasing or taunting -- or they may involve indirect actions such as manipulating friendships or purposely excluding other children from activities. Implicit in this definition is an imbalance in real or perceived power between the bully and victim.” Bullying Among Children and Youth, an article by Susan P. Limber and Maury M. Nation
Bullying Is Widespread
Just as September 11th put the subject of trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder on the forefront of the news, the shootings at Columbine High School made bullying a subject of intense national interest. According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, bullying is "widespread in U.S. schools, with a recent survey finding 29% of students said they were bullies themselves or had experienced being bullied."
Bullying Causes Long Term Problems
Duane Alexander, M.D., director of the NICHD, says about bullying, "It's a public health problem that merits attention. People who were bullied as children are more likely to suffer from depression and low self esteem, well into adulthood, and the bullies themselves are more likely to engage in criminal behavior later in life."
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), the Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education recently conducted research on the shootings at Columbine, and 37 other school shootings. The findings indicated, "Almost three-quarters of student shooters felt bullied, threatened,
