Myths About Bullies and Victims

Myth #1: Bullies Have No Friends
Fact: Bullies are often quite popular among their classmates. Many classmates admire their toughness and may even try to imitate them.

Myth #2: Bullies Have Low Self-Esteem
Fact: Bullies often have inflated self-views, and that high self-esteem can sometimes encourage bullies to rationalize their antisocial actions.

Myth #3: Being a Victim (and Fighting Back) Builds Character
Fact: Children who are passive and socially withdrawn are at heightened risk of getting bullied. These children then become even more withdrawn after incidents of harassment.

Myth #4: Childhood Victims Become Violent as Teens
Fact: Most victims of bullying are more likely to suffer in silence than to retaliate. Victims often have psychological problems such as depression and low self-esteem, which may make them turn inward rather than outward.

Myth #5: Victims are Introvert
Fact: Although certain personality traits indeed place children at higher risk for being bullied, there are also a host of situational factors (e.g., being a new student in school) and social factors (e.g., not having a friend) that increase the likelihood that a child will be bullied. These situational factors explain why there are more temporary than chronic victims of bullying.

Myth #6: Bullying Involves Only Perpetrators and Victim
Fact: Bullying incidents involve more than just the bully and victim. There are bystanders, those who help the bully, and those who defend the victim.

Recommended reading: Stand Up for Yourself and Your Friends




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