Why do some people bully?

A bully can think of all kinds of ways to make another person feel hurt, afraid, uncomfortable, or just plain miserable. It can be physical, verbal, or emotional. Often bullies torment a victim over a long period of time, increasing the victim's sense of fear and distress.

Go to CBBC Newsround to explore your own ideas about bullying. You can take a quiz, analyze bulling dilemmas, and more.
 

Your thoughts: Have you ever witnessed a bullying incident? If so, what happened? What do you think makes bullies behave so aggressively? Why do they become bullies?

Comments

[Unknown]

Everyone at my school bullies people. Kids who have no friends, or not that many, are always the ones to get bullied.

It's horrible. If someone goes from being really popular, to not the best, they're always told that no one likes them. Being one of those people makes you want to cry everyday.

[Jong Lee]

I'm not bullied at school but I've seen 8 kids being bullied.

[Zgirl]

I'm 12 and I'm a girl who gets bullied by a lot of boys and by some girls. In high school [bullies] poured chips in my hair on the bus. I'm fat and everyone says I'm ugly.

[Joe Michael Gonzalez]

When I was little, there was a kid who was so mean and he bullied me all the time. Then I grew up and I saw the person again and I was scared because of my kids. I found out that his kid was bullying mine. Then I said this needs to stop. Well, now we are like best friends.

I am saying take some time. If a bully is being mean to you, you have to stop him, face him, and say stop.

[Cocatcola]

Why do some people bully? I mean, some of them want to become more popular but they're not. Can you give me the reason of their behavior ? ( I'm sorry for the spelling mistakes, I'm French )

[Joe Baddy]

i would not say they do it because of their childhood--no excuse. Bullies are inscecure people who feel badly about themselves. They are just taking their problems out on other people because they don't know how else to deal with it themselves. They need to learn.

[Karlie]

I think people bully other people because they feel that being mean to other people makes themselves feel better. which is very wrong! Take care of the bullying if you see it. You can also help other people that are getting bullied

[Lamecca]

I have personally been bullied by people before because when I was younger I was bigger than others.

[Alicia]

I used to be bullied by what I thought were 'friends'. Of course, they would insist 'you're too sensitive, it was only for fun'. I don't know who was to blame, but I think I am to blame because I didn't really fit in.

No matter what research says about victims not to be blamed, it's really difficult to accept that there is nothing wrong with you when everyone else thinks so.

[Victoria]

There is a boy at my school who had a brain tumour and has lost all his hair so he wears a bandana and everyone makes fun of him. I feel really sorry for him, but there is nothing I can do to help!

[Caitlin]

i think people get bullied because people are jealous of them or because people hear something about them and jump on the bandwagon without thinking about if it's true. They are just glad it's not them

I get bullied. Ever since I started my new school, the girls are really mean to me. They spread rumours and call me things behind my back

It was worse when I first came, they would yell [names) at me in the hallways. The boys joined in because they wanted to be cool.

I don't understand cause I've been at this school a while now, and I am nice to everyone and smile and say hi...all my friends like me but anyone who isn't my friend usually doesn't.

[Amanda]

Many times bullies bully because of stress and lack of control in their normal lives. I can say this, because I was picked on for years, but I am now a stronger person for it. But looking over it over time, you can see how stress and fear caused them to lash out and they needed to find power somehow.

[Kate]

How would you like it if you were getting bullied because somebody started a rumor about a bully and told the bully that you started the rumor and then you ended up getting bullied because of that?

[Steph]

Bullying should be stopped and will be stopped in my class. Bullies have been teasing a boy with a problem.

[Vicki]

Just because we didn't see the bullying doesn't mean that it isn't there. The best we could do about bullies is to ignore them if not report them to the authorities. Hurting them or ourselves is not the solution but will only make the matter worse. I was bullied before up till college and I still regard people saying nasty things to you as a form of bullying, but I didn't let it get the better of me.

[Gabby]

I want to feel good about myself again, but for some reason I can't get over it. I even tried to join a club at school to make friends. But that didn't work. The bullies at my old school were cruel. I wish I could suck it up and move on, but no one can help me. I feel like my parents are to blame so I treat them with less respect than before. I used to believe that god could help me but that ship has sailed. I mean I believe in him but since the bullies, I have trouble getting to church. I'm just afraid of what will happen if they don't like me. I have even let my friend Lexi down and she has gone through a lot. She was bullied to just a little while ago, but I don't know if I could help her. My friend Morgan is even shy like me. I just wish she knew that I have the same feelings as her.

[Gabby]

I wish people would stand up for the kids getting bullied. I know its the bullies fault for making us sad, but what about the kids that stand around and watch. If someone would have helped me just once maybe I wouldn't be so depressed like I am now.

[Gavriel]

There's this cute boy in my class. I like him but he always makes fun of me. How could I even like him? It's just weird. I know it's stupid to like him. But since I was bullied I don't know if he's pulling the fourth grade thing where he really likes me or he hates me. Since I used to be bullied, I don't know which one is which. Because I have never truly been liked before and I'm 13. I wish even people I like picked on me. I guess there's a bully in everyone.

[Mina]

Bullying does not just occur at school, but in home life as well. This could explain why some end up bullying others in school - because they themselves are being bullied. They don't know any other way to behave, and they feel bad about themselves and have low self-esteem because they're so used to being put down. So, in order to make themselves feel better, they go to school and do the same to others.

I'm currently being bullied at home - I am picked on and ganged up on by the people in my house-hold. Nobody sticks up for me though I do nothing wrong. Unlike with school bullies, I have no escape from them - I have to live with them.

[Wai Cha]

Bullying always happens for a reason, and it's a part of life. Everyone has to go through everyday. Everyone is bullied. There's never a time no one has not been bullied. Everyone is bullied, there's never a person who hasn't been bullied before. Even though you're not the person who bullies or has done anything wrong you still get bullied.

[Victor]

Listen, Bullies bully because it can make them look and feel good, I was a bully so take it from me, this is honesty. I bullied because it made me more popular in middle school. The popular kids knew me as the tough funny kid who was always nice to them and the girls, but didn't take crap. I needed the rep cause I was a little below average height, and chubby. And I liked watching people get angry and freak out. I wasn't a very physical bully, more verbal. And since I was a quick thinker, I was always the one shooting out insults and cruel jokes. And it worked, I did become very popular and well liked by the cool kids. But that only lasted for about two and a half years. When people started to get sick of it near the end of 7th grade, I went from one of the top 10 coolest kids, to one of the most hated. In eighth grade I tried a whole new approach, being nice, not a push over, but I was kind, to everyone not just the popular kids. And so far its worked better for me than anything.

[Aimee]

I was bullied nearly all my life and even in school! They really took a toll on my health because of the bullies. Now I have to deal with work which is just like high school only is managers that bully and the worst part of it is they get away with it and they can say anything they want! You think being a kid is tough, try being an adult with people who bully at work too!

It's awful! I think people who bully do it because they have problems within themselves and they hide it but they pour all this stress on someone else and they don't care! It does need to be stopped! Even at the work force too!

[Louis Arteaga]

I was bullied for sitting with a nerdy friend, and for not knowing how to defend myself. I was hit a lot.

[Candy]

Bullying is horrible. I have moved school 3 times because of bullying but all schools are the same. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to try to fit in with the "cool group" because i was scared they would bully me or be mean. It wasn't till High School that I got bullied. From year 7-9 were the worst years of my life....

[Cat]

In the past I was bullied and I eventually changed schools. Sometimes it seems as though the teachers just don't want to know. My friend is a victim to bullying and very little has been done about it. I have always found bullies very difficult to understand. For instance the people that bullied me picked on me because I was popular and they weren't. My friend is being bullied because of the whole issue with power which is probably the most common reason behind bullying