What’s a Bully to Do Without a Victim?

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Every day, millions of young people suffer in silence after having long had their voices and person-hoods stolen by vicious and relentless bullies. But what if I told you that bullying doesn’t exist unless there is a victim? What if I told you that if we could shrink the pool of victims, the number of bullies might also decrease?

It’s not only about holding bullies accountable, it’s also about teaching victims the confidence needed to effectively assert themselves. This is not to say that bullies do not need to be held accountable for their evil actions because they do. However, we should focus more on how to reach victims, help them find time and space away from their tormentors to heal, then teach them ways to protect themselves against future attacks. When the victim is taken out of the equation, the bully instantly loses power.

Without realizing it, victims unwittingly give power to the bullies by the way they respond to attacks and more so, the body language they use (putting the head down, slouching, avoiding eye contact, etc.). Often, this conveys to bullies that they have low self-esteem, leaving them wide open to receive more and worse attacks in the future.

So how do we teach victims confidence and the proper body language to ward off future incidences of bullying?

By using positive re-enforcement- praising them for each good deed performed, showing love and affection, and never hesitating to let them know how awesome they are and how much they are loved.

The longer we give these victims positive re-enforcement, the better they will feel about themselves, the higher chances are that they will eventually see their own value and the better they will be able to counter any future attacks and bullying.

Think of it as putting money into a bank account. The more money you deposit, the bigger your account grows and the wealthier you are. It is the same with bully victims and positive re-enforcement. The self-esteem is like this bank account, the more love, care and positive praise you give a victim of bullying, the bigger and better you will build their self-esteems and the healthier he/she will be. They now know their own worth and can better counter the incendiary attacks of bullies! Positive words and actions toward the bullied person by family members, teachers, pastors, rabbis, etc. must outweigh and outnumber the negative attacks and assaults of their bullies.

If someone you love is being bullied, it is imperative that you deposit money (positive re-enforcement) into their dwindling self-esteem accounts and do it every day, as much as humanly possible. As mentioned earlier, you must outdo the bullies’ negative messages with your own positive messages toward the victim. Only then will the victim’s self-esteem begin to repair itself, he/she will begin to slowly awaken and open his/her eyes to their own value, and regain their confidence.

Finally, when confidence is fully restored, the victim will reclaim his/her power, be better able to combat bullies and maybe even cease to be a victim!

0 thoughts on “What’s a Bully to Do Without a Victim?

  1. Carissa Midkiff says:

    This sounds like a great idea but it doesn’t always work. My daughter struggles with mental health issues and very low self esteem. we have her in therapy and she’s also gone thru DBT therapy. They have been beneficial to her and her self esteem has gotten better but isn’t perfect. I encourage her as much as I can. I tell her she’s smart, beautiful, kind, caring, compassionate… I tell her how proud of her I am as often as I can as well. Unfortunately, her bully continues to torment her. Thankfully she’s been able to get away from him now that she’s on spring break, and when she goes back to school her schedule has been changed. But we don’t know if this kid is going to be in any of her new classes. I’m praying that he’s not but we won’t know till Monday. I believe more parents need to be more attentive to their kids and make sure they are taught not to bully others. There needs to be harsher punishment for the kids who are the bullies. Mostly because at this point, my daughter feels like she’s not being taken seriously and she dreads going to school every single day. I’ve been in contact with the principal of the school several times and when school resumes, I will be making a visit to him to find out why things haven’t Been handled yet. At any rate, as i said in the beginning of my comment, this sounds like a great idea, but im some cases, it doesn’t always work.

    • cheriewhite says:

      I’m so heartbroken for your daughter. No one should ever have to deal with torment such as that. And you’re right, it doesn’t always work. But keep doing what you’re doing. It may not be noticeable right away. But it will pay off later. I admire you for making the extra effort to be there for her. She will thank you for it later, I guarantee it! Wishing you and your daughter all the love and happiness that your hearts can hold!
      Cherie

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