Everyday, around the world, adolescents are subjected to harassment by their peers. This disregard for the dignity of others is labeled “peer victimization.”The academic essay “Bullying Among Students and Its Consequences on Health'' by Barbara Houbre et al. describes many different aspects of this topic, from who is more likely to perform these actions, to its effects on the victims. The fiction novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding contains countless examples of this fascinating phenomenon.
There are certain traits that make individuals more likely to be the perpetrators or the victims of bullying. Houbre et al. explains it wonderfully, saying “children attach more importance to traits that characterize them as bullies (e.g., traits of temperament like impulsive, extroverted, conceited, leader, and physical traits like strong) than to other traits” (20). Bullies often describe themselves as the traits previously mentioned and victims (most of the time), are in juxtaposition to them. The trait of “‘strong”’ is displayed in Lord of The Flies when Jack says “We're strong--we hunt!” (Golding 91). Another trait, that of leadership, is demonstrated when Ralph states “[t]There aren't any grownups. We shall have to look after ourselves.” (Golding 33). Here, Ralph is taking charge and asserting authority over the other
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As Houbre puts it, “This kind of aggression can be direct or it can be expressed in words…, via physical contact…, or by way of social” (Houbre et al. 3). Here, she lists all the possible ways someone could be tyrannized. A prime example of aggression being expressed via physical contact is found in Golding’s novel, when the boys surround Robert and beat him, moving “in and round. Robert squealed in mock terror, then in real pain. ‘Ow! Stop it! You're hurting!’” (Golding 114). Even after Robert has told the other boys to stop, they continue to hurt him which is an example of peer