Where bullying came from?

The original definition of the word bully is actually “sweetheart,” which is the opposite of what bullying is understood to be in our society. So, where did bullying really come from? It’s hard to believe, but bullying has its roots at the beginning of animals. Numerous decades of research and articles have revealed that certain animal behavior is a type of bullying. Connected to the survival of the fittest, which for animal species and survival makes sense if you think about the strongest surviving so that the species can continue. Bullying is not unique to the United States. Bullying is global. Most of the research surrounds the behavior of monkeys and a variance thereof and how they assume leadership and control. Additionally, other animal species bully and go as far as killing to remain at the forefront.

The human manifestation of bullying has become exponentially more complicated. Because of humans’ ability to communicate verbally, bullying has reflected effective communication skills in verbal abuse, manipulation, and bullying. On top of the verbal ability of human beings, adding to that over the last 30 or so years is the technological advances --now bullies can bully from afar. Mastering the art of bullying even distanced from their victim. Physical bullying has been around for some time as well. Still, as pop culture and societal expectations dictate power and control as attractive and effective, bullying has become even more pronounced through physical harm, mental harm, and verbal harm. So, unlike the animal species whose bullying has specific reasons and rationale for survival, human beings do it in a much more manipulative and competitive fashion.

It seems that even with the spotlight on bullying and that bullying is bad and not attractive, people continue to do it for various reasons. And looking at people through the lens of counseling, it seems as if nothing can actually prevent bullying. Many people who are not from marginalized backgrounds are victims of bullying, including wealthy and attractive people. Continuing to keep strong family systems and transparency in expressing feelings while developing esteem can help prevent bullying by stopping it right when it begins. More vulnerable populations will tend to let it keep going because they either don’t know how to stop it or think they deserve it. Schools, families, friends, and society can collectively work hard to keep people safe from being bullied.