Bullying in South Korea
Bullying is a public problem. It should not be considered as a part of the normal growing pains of a young child. With the help of media sharing stories from all over the world about bullying, the belief that it is part of life and that it is normal and even necessary for healthy adulthood, has started to change (Kim, Koh & Leventhal, 2004). Scientific reports have proven that bullying is a significant, independent risk factor for suicidal ideation and behaviors in adolescents who had been victimized repeatedly (Kim, 2006; Kim, Leventhal, Koh & Boyce, 2009). In fact, there were 517 suicides in the 10-24 age range between the years of 1998-2002 in America directly caused by bullying (Rosenthal, 2008). Educators must accept that bullying is a severe problem that must be dealt with and stopped in schools.
Bullying can be defined as an unfair aggressive behavior with the intention of physical, social or emotional harm generated toward another person with less power. Not necessarily, but most of the time, the behavior is repeated over a period of time (Hibbert, 2005; Ma, Stewin & Mah, 2001). According to Rosenthal (2008) children bully because of the following four reasons: (1) They copy others, (2) they believe that it is the only way to be accepted by the group, (3) they build self-esteem through bullying, and finally (4) they keep themselves safe from being bullied. To break the cycle of bullying, educators must help students build self-esteem in positive ways and teach children that bullying is not an acceptable behaviour. Lai and Chang (2008) found out that children who are bullied have poor attitudes toward schools, teachers, classmates which results in poor academic achievements. They also added that these children are more likely to engage in violence and create an unsafe school environment. Bullying is not only harming young pupils in the short term, but it does negatively effect them in the future as well. Rosenthal (2008) reports that of the adults who had been bullied as children: 20 % lost their confidence, 13 % reported that it affected their relationships, 9% were suicidal, 8% received treatment for mental issues and 7% found it hard to get a job (p.104).
So who becomes a bully?
According to Hibbert (2005) bullying behavior may be due to the way people are raised in their homes and that people bully because they have experienced physical or emotional abuse or neglect. Because it is likely that bullies have suffered physical or emotional abuse, educators should not punish bullies unnecessarily. Rushowy (2011) introduces “no-blame, problem-solving response” for bullies. She suggests that bullies should not be labeled or stigmatized as bullies. They should not be blamed for their aggressive behavior because bullies are being aggressive perhaps because they haven’t had any role models at home and that they are trying to gain self-respect through bullying. Pontzer (2009) found that there is a correlation between parenting style and whether or not the child will be a bully. If the parents stigmatize their child by calling names, teasing and rejecting, the child may imitate these aggressive behaviors when interacting with others. Therefore, in order to reduce bullying, aggressive children should be the focus of greater attention by teachers, counsellors, administrator as well as parents (Fleming & Jacobsen, 2009; Lai & Chang, 2008). Educators should help children understand that bullying is not an activity worth engaging in, not because they will be punished if caught, but because they will be better people for not bullying.
Ways to deal with bullying
One way to deal with bulling is to teach the students to be N.I.C.E. Shapiro and Jankowski (2005) came up with a systematic approach which has the acronym N.I.C.E. N stands for neutralize emotions, I stands for identify type, C stands for control the encounter and E stands for exploring the options. N.I.C.E. is a set of practical tactics in social encounters with bullies and impossible people. The NICE approach is one that people get better at it through practicing. This approach is said to help victims deal positively with bullies; however, it is not a system that focuses on preventing bullying from ocurring. On the other hand, since it is evident that bullying happens all around the world, it would be necessary to teach students ways in which to deal with bullies, tyrants and difficult people. Hence, incorporating the NICE approach into a school’s curriculum is a positive stop towards ending bullying cycle on the victims end.
A better way to deal with bullying in schools is to implement bulling prevention programs or activities which may include establishing anti-bullying policy and training staff to monitor and intervene (Hirschstein, Edstrom, Frey, Snell, & MacKenzie, 2007). The problem with prevention programs is that they are difficult to monitor, because bullying usually does not happen under teacher observation. It happens mostly in the hallways and on the playgrounds when there is no supervisor around and/or outside of school (Young, 2009). Therefore it is hard to know if bullying prevention program (BPP) has helped decrease the amount of bullying happening. However, Houlston (2009) has found that with the help of a peer counseling scheme, students felt positive about the school knowing that the school is working hard to prevent bullying. In addition, they believed that there is less bullying occurring in school. Effective bullying prevention programs are needed and recommended by Due et al. (2005) to reduce the amount of bullying by informative programs to teachers and pupils. Moreover, it is suggested to increase the inspection in hallways during transitions when bullying is likely to occur (Due et al, 2005; Young, 2009). The positive feelings students have toward the concept of the school fighting bullying may be enough to justify using a prevention program, even if a direct correlation to lowering the prevalence of bullying cannot be proven.
One prevention program that is widely used is the Olweus Prevention Program which was first developed by Dan Olweus, after three Norwegian boys committed suicide in 1982 after being bullied repeatedly. Starr (2005) argues the key components of the bullying prevention program that Olweus developed as increased adult supervision, increased consequences for bullying behavior, and a clear message that bullying will not be tolerated. She summarized the program components as;
Korean Culture and bullying
Bullying was first noticed to be a problem in Korea in the mid 1990s and it is known as a serious problem among Korean school children and adolescents (Koo, Kwak & Smith, 2008). In fact, it is reported as the third cause of death (Kim, Koh & Leventhal, 2004); and therefore in 2005, the Korean government opened a public dialog about this issue (Koo, Kwak & Smith, 2008). Sadly, it is perceived by the citizens that creating public awareness does not help reducing bullying nor increasing the amount of reporting of bullying (D. Choi, personal communication, October 10, 2011).
Even if there was a law protecting citizens from being victimized, it wouldn’t be that effective because of the way the hierarchy works in Asian societies (Rhie, 2002). In agreement with Bukspan, (2004) the graduates of the Korean Yonsei University would be the powerful, ‘elite’ group that would be ruling society; since it is considered the best university in Korea (Yonsei University, 2007). Therefore, graduates of Yonsei are in positions of power throughout the country and can continue supporting each other from ‘outsiders.’
Koo, Kwak and Smith (2008) points out that the nature of Korean bullying is based on collectivism in which an individual’s opinion over a peer is not so important but pupils follow the silent decision of a majority (p. 136). According to Rhie, (2002) that is (1) because Koreans find it impossible for an individual to exist alone in society. That’s why they create and belong to countless social groups not only to protect themselves but also to increase their spheres of influence and power. (2) Because of Confucian traditions, where hierarchy and rank are the necessary facts that need to be taken into consideration when building friendship. It is easy to know someone but to become close friends -- age and title play a major role. With that in consideration, it makes sense that many Koreans bully each other mostly by gipdan-ttadolim which is translated as group isolation (Koo, Kwak & Smith, 2008). Due et al. (2005) call this as social exclusion and that it may result in a lack of social participation and attachment and delayed and possibly weakened development of social competencies, which may harm future social and work prospects (p.130). Since Koreans do not want to be excluded and thus, feel the negative effects in the future relations, it is being noticed lately among youth that the bully, bystanders and the victim laugh when bullying happens (D. Choi, personal communication, October 10, 2011). It is a normal reaction for the bully and the bystanders to laugh; however, when the victim laughs while being bullied, it is probably because he has an internal conflict and displaying discrepancies in nonverbal behaviors such as laughing while being bullied in the hopes of not being isolated (Ivey, Ivey & Zalaquett, 2010).
Conclusion:
Even when opening public awareness by the Korean government, it is evident that bullying happens among young children and even among adults. However, it is proved that bullying causes suicidal ideation and it is a serious public health problem (Kim, Koh & Leventhal, 2004). Starr (2005) argues that it is the schools duty to maintain a safe environment for students so that learning could happen. Since bullying is a relationship problem, it is imperative to solve it through intervention programs, where the bully gets the attention of counselors, teachers, administrators, and the parents and receives the necessary education to be a more responsible adult who can make the change to become a positive members of society.
ReferencesBukspan, E. (2004). Bullying at work in France. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 32 (3), 397-406. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Cameron, A. (2009). Regret, choice theory and reality therapy. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 28(2), 40-42. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Corey, G. (2009). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (8th ed.). Belmont CA: Brooks/Cole/Cengage Learning.
Due, P., Holstein, B. E., Lynch, J., Diderichsen, F., Gabhain, S. N., Scheidt, P., & Currie, C. (2005). Bullying and symptoms among school-aged children: international comparative cross sectional study in 28 countries. European Journal of Public Health, Vol.15, No. 2,128-132.
Fleming, L. C. & Jacobsen, K. H. (2009). Bullying among middle-school students in low and middle income countries. Health Promotion International, Vol.25, No.1, doi: 10.1093/heapro/dap046
Hibbert, A. (2005). Why do people bully? Raintree, Illinois, Chicago.
Hirschstein, M. K., Edstrom, L. V. S., Frey, K. S., Snell, J. L. & MacKenzie, E. P. (2007). Walking the Talk in Bullying Prevention: Teacher Implementation Variables Related to Initial Impact of the Steps to Respect Program. School Psychology Review, 36(1), 3-21. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Houlston, C. K. (2009). The impact of a peer counselling scheme to address bullying in an all-girl London secondary school: A short-term longitudinal study. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 79(1), 69-86. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Ivey, A. E., Ivey, M. B., & Zalaquett, P. C. (2010). Intentional interviewing and counselling: Facilitating client development in a multicultural society (7th ed.). Belmont CA: Brooks/Cole.
Kim, J. U. (2006). The Effect of A Bullying Prevention Program on Responsibility and Victimization of Bullied Children in Korea. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 26(1), 4-8. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Kim, Y. S., Leventhal, B. L., Koh, Y. J., & Boyce, T. (2009). Bullying increased suicidal risk: prospective study of korean adolescents. International Academy of Suicide Research. Retrieved from University of Southern Queensland database.
Kim, Y. S., Koh, Y. J., & Leventhal, B. (2004). School bullying and suicidal risk in korean middle school students. American Academy of Pediatrics. Retrieved in September 27, 2011, from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/115/2/357.full.html
Koo, H., Kwak, K. & Smith, P. K. (2008). Victimization in korean schools: the nature, incidence, and distinctive features of korean bullying or wang-ta. Journal of School Violence, 7:4, 119-139.
Lai, S., Ye, R., & Chang, K. (2008). Bullying in Middle Schools: An Asian-Pacific Regional Study. Asia Pacific Education Review, 9(4), 503-515. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Ma, X. L., Stewin, L. L. & Mah, D. L. (2001). Bullying in school: nature, effects and remedies. Research Papers in Education, 16(3), 247-270. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Pontzer, D. (2010). A Theoretical Test of Bullying Behavior: Parenting, Personality, and the Bully/Victim Relationship. Journal of Family Violence, 25(3), 259-273. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Rhie, W. (2002). Korea Unmasked: In search of the country, the society and the people. (1st ed.). Gimm-Young Publishers, Seoul 110-260, Republic of Korea.
Rosenthal, B. (2008). Bullying. Greenhaven Press, Framington Hills, MI.
Rushowy, K. (2011, October 3). A different way to deal with bullying. Parentcentral.ca. Retrieved from http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/newsfeatures/article/1062917--a-different-way-to-deal-with-bullying
Shapiro, R. M. & Jankowski, M. A. (2005). Bullies, Tyrants & Impossible People: How to beat them without joining them. Crown Publishing Group, Random House, Inc., New York.
Starr, L. (2005). Bullying intervention strategies that work: the community must help victims fight back agains bullies. Education World. Oct 26.
Young, A. (2009). Empowering Students: Using Data to Transform a Bullying Prevention and Intervention Program. Professional School Counseling, 12(6), 413. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Yonsei University. (2007). Yonsei newsletter. Retrieved from http://www2.yonsei.ac.kr/eand/eng/cgi-bin/view.asp
Bullying can be defined as an unfair aggressive behavior with the intention of physical, social or emotional harm generated toward another person with less power. Not necessarily, but most of the time, the behavior is repeated over a period of time (Hibbert, 2005; Ma, Stewin & Mah, 2001). According to Rosenthal (2008) children bully because of the following four reasons: (1) They copy others, (2) they believe that it is the only way to be accepted by the group, (3) they build self-esteem through bullying, and finally (4) they keep themselves safe from being bullied. To break the cycle of bullying, educators must help students build self-esteem in positive ways and teach children that bullying is not an acceptable behaviour. Lai and Chang (2008) found out that children who are bullied have poor attitudes toward schools, teachers, classmates which results in poor academic achievements. They also added that these children are more likely to engage in violence and create an unsafe school environment. Bullying is not only harming young pupils in the short term, but it does negatively effect them in the future as well. Rosenthal (2008) reports that of the adults who had been bullied as children: 20 % lost their confidence, 13 % reported that it affected their relationships, 9% were suicidal, 8% received treatment for mental issues and 7% found it hard to get a job (p.104).
So who becomes a bully?
According to Hibbert (2005) bullying behavior may be due to the way people are raised in their homes and that people bully because they have experienced physical or emotional abuse or neglect. Because it is likely that bullies have suffered physical or emotional abuse, educators should not punish bullies unnecessarily. Rushowy (2011) introduces “no-blame, problem-solving response” for bullies. She suggests that bullies should not be labeled or stigmatized as bullies. They should not be blamed for their aggressive behavior because bullies are being aggressive perhaps because they haven’t had any role models at home and that they are trying to gain self-respect through bullying. Pontzer (2009) found that there is a correlation between parenting style and whether or not the child will be a bully. If the parents stigmatize their child by calling names, teasing and rejecting, the child may imitate these aggressive behaviors when interacting with others. Therefore, in order to reduce bullying, aggressive children should be the focus of greater attention by teachers, counsellors, administrator as well as parents (Fleming & Jacobsen, 2009; Lai & Chang, 2008). Educators should help children understand that bullying is not an activity worth engaging in, not because they will be punished if caught, but because they will be better people for not bullying.
Ways to deal with bullying
One way to deal with bulling is to teach the students to be N.I.C.E. Shapiro and Jankowski (2005) came up with a systematic approach which has the acronym N.I.C.E. N stands for neutralize emotions, I stands for identify type, C stands for control the encounter and E stands for exploring the options. N.I.C.E. is a set of practical tactics in social encounters with bullies and impossible people. The NICE approach is one that people get better at it through practicing. This approach is said to help victims deal positively with bullies; however, it is not a system that focuses on preventing bullying from ocurring. On the other hand, since it is evident that bullying happens all around the world, it would be necessary to teach students ways in which to deal with bullies, tyrants and difficult people. Hence, incorporating the NICE approach into a school’s curriculum is a positive stop towards ending bullying cycle on the victims end.
A better way to deal with bullying in schools is to implement bulling prevention programs or activities which may include establishing anti-bullying policy and training staff to monitor and intervene (Hirschstein, Edstrom, Frey, Snell, & MacKenzie, 2007). The problem with prevention programs is that they are difficult to monitor, because bullying usually does not happen under teacher observation. It happens mostly in the hallways and on the playgrounds when there is no supervisor around and/or outside of school (Young, 2009). Therefore it is hard to know if bullying prevention program (BPP) has helped decrease the amount of bullying happening. However, Houlston (2009) has found that with the help of a peer counseling scheme, students felt positive about the school knowing that the school is working hard to prevent bullying. In addition, they believed that there is less bullying occurring in school. Effective bullying prevention programs are needed and recommended by Due et al. (2005) to reduce the amount of bullying by informative programs to teachers and pupils. Moreover, it is suggested to increase the inspection in hallways during transitions when bullying is likely to occur (Due et al, 2005; Young, 2009). The positive feelings students have toward the concept of the school fighting bullying may be enough to justify using a prevention program, even if a direct correlation to lowering the prevalence of bullying cannot be proven.
One prevention program that is widely used is the Olweus Prevention Program which was first developed by Dan Olweus, after three Norwegian boys committed suicide in 1982 after being bullied repeatedly. Starr (2005) argues the key components of the bullying prevention program that Olweus developed as increased adult supervision, increased consequences for bullying behavior, and a clear message that bullying will not be tolerated. She summarized the program components as;
- inclusion of lessons that promote empathy, kindness, and friendship,
- having class rules against bullying,
- immediate consequences for the bully,
- ongoing meetings with all students communicating clear expectations about preventing bullying,
- ongoing communication with parents (p.89).
Korean Culture and bullying
Bullying was first noticed to be a problem in Korea in the mid 1990s and it is known as a serious problem among Korean school children and adolescents (Koo, Kwak & Smith, 2008). In fact, it is reported as the third cause of death (Kim, Koh & Leventhal, 2004); and therefore in 2005, the Korean government opened a public dialog about this issue (Koo, Kwak & Smith, 2008). Sadly, it is perceived by the citizens that creating public awareness does not help reducing bullying nor increasing the amount of reporting of bullying (D. Choi, personal communication, October 10, 2011).
Even if there was a law protecting citizens from being victimized, it wouldn’t be that effective because of the way the hierarchy works in Asian societies (Rhie, 2002). In agreement with Bukspan, (2004) the graduates of the Korean Yonsei University would be the powerful, ‘elite’ group that would be ruling society; since it is considered the best university in Korea (Yonsei University, 2007). Therefore, graduates of Yonsei are in positions of power throughout the country and can continue supporting each other from ‘outsiders.’
Koo, Kwak and Smith (2008) points out that the nature of Korean bullying is based on collectivism in which an individual’s opinion over a peer is not so important but pupils follow the silent decision of a majority (p. 136). According to Rhie, (2002) that is (1) because Koreans find it impossible for an individual to exist alone in society. That’s why they create and belong to countless social groups not only to protect themselves but also to increase their spheres of influence and power. (2) Because of Confucian traditions, where hierarchy and rank are the necessary facts that need to be taken into consideration when building friendship. It is easy to know someone but to become close friends -- age and title play a major role. With that in consideration, it makes sense that many Koreans bully each other mostly by gipdan-ttadolim which is translated as group isolation (Koo, Kwak & Smith, 2008). Due et al. (2005) call this as social exclusion and that it may result in a lack of social participation and attachment and delayed and possibly weakened development of social competencies, which may harm future social and work prospects (p.130). Since Koreans do not want to be excluded and thus, feel the negative effects in the future relations, it is being noticed lately among youth that the bully, bystanders and the victim laugh when bullying happens (D. Choi, personal communication, October 10, 2011). It is a normal reaction for the bully and the bystanders to laugh; however, when the victim laughs while being bullied, it is probably because he has an internal conflict and displaying discrepancies in nonverbal behaviors such as laughing while being bullied in the hopes of not being isolated (Ivey, Ivey & Zalaquett, 2010).
Conclusion:
Even when opening public awareness by the Korean government, it is evident that bullying happens among young children and even among adults. However, it is proved that bullying causes suicidal ideation and it is a serious public health problem (Kim, Koh & Leventhal, 2004). Starr (2005) argues that it is the schools duty to maintain a safe environment for students so that learning could happen. Since bullying is a relationship problem, it is imperative to solve it through intervention programs, where the bully gets the attention of counselors, teachers, administrators, and the parents and receives the necessary education to be a more responsible adult who can make the change to become a positive members of society.
ReferencesBukspan, E. (2004). Bullying at work in France. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 32 (3), 397-406. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Cameron, A. (2009). Regret, choice theory and reality therapy. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 28(2), 40-42. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Corey, G. (2009). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (8th ed.). Belmont CA: Brooks/Cole/Cengage Learning.
Due, P., Holstein, B. E., Lynch, J., Diderichsen, F., Gabhain, S. N., Scheidt, P., & Currie, C. (2005). Bullying and symptoms among school-aged children: international comparative cross sectional study in 28 countries. European Journal of Public Health, Vol.15, No. 2,128-132.
Fleming, L. C. & Jacobsen, K. H. (2009). Bullying among middle-school students in low and middle income countries. Health Promotion International, Vol.25, No.1, doi: 10.1093/heapro/dap046
Hibbert, A. (2005). Why do people bully? Raintree, Illinois, Chicago.
Hirschstein, M. K., Edstrom, L. V. S., Frey, K. S., Snell, J. L. & MacKenzie, E. P. (2007). Walking the Talk in Bullying Prevention: Teacher Implementation Variables Related to Initial Impact of the Steps to Respect Program. School Psychology Review, 36(1), 3-21. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Houlston, C. K. (2009). The impact of a peer counselling scheme to address bullying in an all-girl London secondary school: A short-term longitudinal study. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 79(1), 69-86. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Ivey, A. E., Ivey, M. B., & Zalaquett, P. C. (2010). Intentional interviewing and counselling: Facilitating client development in a multicultural society (7th ed.). Belmont CA: Brooks/Cole.
Kim, J. U. (2006). The Effect of A Bullying Prevention Program on Responsibility and Victimization of Bullied Children in Korea. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 26(1), 4-8. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Kim, Y. S., Leventhal, B. L., Koh, Y. J., & Boyce, T. (2009). Bullying increased suicidal risk: prospective study of korean adolescents. International Academy of Suicide Research. Retrieved from University of Southern Queensland database.
Kim, Y. S., Koh, Y. J., & Leventhal, B. (2004). School bullying and suicidal risk in korean middle school students. American Academy of Pediatrics. Retrieved in September 27, 2011, from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/115/2/357.full.html
Koo, H., Kwak, K. & Smith, P. K. (2008). Victimization in korean schools: the nature, incidence, and distinctive features of korean bullying or wang-ta. Journal of School Violence, 7:4, 119-139.
Lai, S., Ye, R., & Chang, K. (2008). Bullying in Middle Schools: An Asian-Pacific Regional Study. Asia Pacific Education Review, 9(4), 503-515. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Ma, X. L., Stewin, L. L. & Mah, D. L. (2001). Bullying in school: nature, effects and remedies. Research Papers in Education, 16(3), 247-270. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Pontzer, D. (2010). A Theoretical Test of Bullying Behavior: Parenting, Personality, and the Bully/Victim Relationship. Journal of Family Violence, 25(3), 259-273. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Rhie, W. (2002). Korea Unmasked: In search of the country, the society and the people. (1st ed.). Gimm-Young Publishers, Seoul 110-260, Republic of Korea.
Rosenthal, B. (2008). Bullying. Greenhaven Press, Framington Hills, MI.
Rushowy, K. (2011, October 3). A different way to deal with bullying. Parentcentral.ca. Retrieved from http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/newsfeatures/article/1062917--a-different-way-to-deal-with-bullying
Shapiro, R. M. & Jankowski, M. A. (2005). Bullies, Tyrants & Impossible People: How to beat them without joining them. Crown Publishing Group, Random House, Inc., New York.
Starr, L. (2005). Bullying intervention strategies that work: the community must help victims fight back agains bullies. Education World. Oct 26.
Young, A. (2009). Empowering Students: Using Data to Transform a Bullying Prevention and Intervention Program. Professional School Counseling, 12(6), 413. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Yonsei University. (2007). Yonsei newsletter. Retrieved from http://www2.yonsei.ac.kr/eand/eng/cgi-bin/view.asp
