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Evolution of Bullying:
Evolution of Bullying:
We recognize acts of bullying today in schools, but what about in the past? Bullying was everywhere, much like today, but many acts went unrecognized. This was especially because there was much discrimination towards people with different races, disabilities, and genders, making it a “normal” behavior, specifically up until the 1950s. As society started to become more equitable, the meaning of bullying also expanded in order to recognize the various students suffering from different types of bullying. Below is a summary of the timeline of the evolution of bullying followed by a more detailed explanation below that.
Timeline:
Timeline:
1800s - People reported acts of bullying in schools, camps, barracks, and ship crews. People saw it as a part of human nature so they recognized it as a thing, but did not do much about it. They defined it as a physical or verbal behavior that was typically related to death, up until around the 1950s. It was a behavior that only boys were capable of, with the stronger boys attacking the weaker ones. Whenever an act of bullying occurred, people saw it as “boys being boys” and typically ignored it (Koo, 2007, p. 112).
1862 - A newspaper called The Times was the first to report a bullying incident. The victim was a soldier named Flood and his death was described as a result of “systematic bullying” in the army (Koo, 2007, p. 109-110). This began to increase the awareness of bullying in society.
1885 - At King’s School in Cambridge, England, a 12-year old boy died as a result of bullying by an older group of boys. Letters written to the council asked them to investigate the death. When they finally did, they said that bullying was a part of a normal school boy’s life and no punishments were given to the older group of boys (Koo, 2007, p. 109-110). This was due to the belief that bullying was just a part of human nature.
1940s - This decade was the starting point in altering how people viewed bullying due to the Second World War. The war affected how people viewed basic human rights as well as their morals, causing people to realize the effects of violence and that people should not be subjected to it. It also became a time of feminism and anti-racism, leading to developing views of bullying on the basis of gender and race (Koo, 2007, p. 111-112). People recognized that anyone can be the target of hatred and violence as a result of this event.
1970s - Dan Olweus, a researcher in psychology, conducted the first intensive study and carefully documented research on bullying. He also invented a “self-report questionnaire” that was to help study bullying and its effects, allowing for research in bullying to commence in many different disciplines such as education, sociology, and criminology (Koo, 2007, p. 112). He also created the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program which was to help reduce bullying in schools and is still used today (National Gang Center, 2021). His research caused the meaning of bullying to be expanded, allowing for many different acts of bullying to be recognized.
1973 - The Rehabilitation Act was established which included Section 504 into federal law by the U.S. Government. This act demands, "Schools must address bullying and harassment that are based on a student’s disability and that interfere with or limit a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or opportunities offered by a school" (US Department of Education, 2020). It is because of this act and others like it, that schools must address discrimination and the bullying of these students in these schools.
1980s- The meaning of bullying expanded from physical or verbal behavior into more psychological behavior as well. Due to Olweus and other researchers, indirect ways of bullying such as rumor spreading and unkind gestures were included into acts of bullying. People also began to accept that any school can be subject to bullying with varying degrees of severity (Koo, 2007, p. 112-113).
2000s - A rise of cyberbullying began due to the increase of technology. Various acts were passed in many different states in order to fight against bullying and cyberbullying in their schools. (FindLaw Staff, 2023).
2010 - The Dignity for All Students Act was passed in New York for a safe and supportive environment free from bullying (New York State Education Department, 2023). This is one example of an act that was passed in a U.S. state to help reduce bullying in schools.
How did the evolution of bullying affect today's world?
How did the evolution of bullying affect today's world?
Through this timeline, we can see how the meaning of bullying continues to develop and change as society does. As the meaning changes, so does the policies in schools as to how to address it. This is to account for all the new ways children are being bullied in school settings. Since the first research as to how to reduce bullying was not done until 1970, this gives us an idea as to why schools may not have effective policies and why they keep adjusting them, as its still relatively new. Training programs for teachers have slowly been developing as well as the anti-bullying programs implemented in schools to account for these changes.
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