The bullier is also a victim

Psychologist and educational specialist Nadia Fahd Joudah wrote on the CyberX website:

Bullying is behavior characterized by aggression, provocation, and insult to others, as it is repeatedly directed at a person or a group of people. Bullying may be verbal through words, physical through hostile actions, sexual through words and actions, or social through isolation and exclusion of the victim from others. It may also be electronically via #social_media.

Most articles focus on the bully (the victim) and the effects of bullying on his psychology. Very few people pay attention to the bully himself, his psychology, and the reasons that led him to #bully others, as knowing the motives behind this hostile behavior is the first step to treating this social scourge. A bully is a person who pretends to be powerful and controlling others, contrary to what is actually the case. This is due to several psychological reasons, including: The #bully feels a lack of self-confidence, according to a study published in the Journal of “Individual and Personal Differences” (2019), as it was found that bullies lack confidence and self-esteem, and also suffer from behavioral and emotional disturbances and tend to be aggressive, so they seek to prove themselves and compensate for their negative feelings. By showing off and harming others.

The Journal of Aggressive Behavior (2017) published a study, the content of which is that bullies suffer from disorders in recognizing the feelings and emotions of others, in addition to that they do not have the ability to understand and interpret these feelings correctly, which makes them do not feel guilty or empathic with the victim and are not aware of the extent of the harm. reality on their victims. The need to attract attention and obtain attention, feelings of nihilism, and feelings of jealousy, hatred, and frustration are among the most common motivations that lead to bullying behavior.

As for other reasons that may lead to the formation of the #bully personality: It is that he was exposed to bullying in childhood, especially by a family member such as the mother or father, so the idea became entrenched in his mentality as correct behavior as long as his parents followed it. Not only that, but parents may contribute to enhancing aggression among their children when they give in to their anger or enter into mutual conflict and aggression with them, which leads to the strengthening of their aggressive behavior to become a feature of their personality that accompanies them for life, and they find no outlet for it except by bullying others.”

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) considered that “most of the bullied children were victims of bullying before. They lack a sense of psychological and emotional security,” and their behavior results “from violence and neglect at home, the practice of oppression towards them, and the presence of family disputes. Therefore, they seek to attract attention and achieve a sense of security.” Acceptance from others.

 Let us not forget that the media and electronic games contributed to strengthening and encouraging the personality of the #bully and showing him as a hero who is respected and taken into account, which built a good mental image of the #bully so that he becomes a role model.

Bullying has negative effects on the perpetrator, as well as on the victim, as the #bully may become an anti-social personality and become involved in criminal acts, which exposes him to consequences and punishments such as going to prison and losing his future. Also, getting into quarrels and going too far may lead to danger and become easy prey for drug and contraband dealers. This is in addition to a low academic level or being expelled from school, which prevents him from completing his education.

Although the #bully is also a victim and needs psychological evaluation, these reasons do not justify his behavior and should not be used as an excuse to justify his actions. Instead, bullies should work to identify the reasons that drive this behavior and work to confront them and improve their psychological health. Others must recognize the behavior of bullies, deal with them with caution and awareness, and look for ways to help them overcome the reasons that led them to this fate. Perhaps the most important step to saving the bully is to bring him to a psychologist to find out the true motives of bullying and address it.