-
Step 1
Stand up to the bully, but do not fight. Bullies focus on people they feel they have an advantage over and can easily control. Frequently this is a belief that they are physically stronger than their victim. Fighting is to be avoided as is giving in to the bully' s demands. Bullies prefer easy targets.
-
Step 2
Make eye contact and be assertive. It is important that bullies see that they are being dealt with as an equal, not as a superior.
-
Step 3
Avoid responding to taunts and challenges. Bullies seek to control and manipulate their victims. They use insults, dares and taunts to attempt to force victims to respond and feed the bully' s ego. Ignoring a bully and withholding the reward of manipulating another will often discourage bullies who are attempting to anger and frustrate their victims.
-
Step 4
Inform superiors. Whether a teacher or a supervisor, if bullying behaviors will not stop the best way to beat a bully may be to tell someone in authority. It may be the only way to keep people from being physically hurt.
-
Step 5
Decide when bullying becomes dangerous. No one deserves to be bullied, and no one deserves to be hurt. It is possible that bullying may escalate into serious physical violence, and it is best to decide in advance under what circumstances active self defense is necessary.
-
Step 6
Enroll in self defense classes or some other self esteem boosting ability. Bullies often seek to boost their own self esteem by destroying the esteem of others. Frequently, their targets do not have a high sense of self esteem. Taking steps to increase one's own self worth always leads to positive results. Sound personal defense instruction is often a great way to achieve increased self esteem and boost confidence.
Comments
jenecequa said
on 10/18/2009 Document those passive aggressive bullies and then tell them that you did it (about 3 months later). Then, send the documentation to their boss, parent, teacher, principal, pastor, and/or spouse. Short story: A 12 yr old was bullying my 8 yr old and I caught him doing it - I ordered him to stop. He challenged me,"What are YOU going to do about it". I told him nothing. But, I said, I could hire a 15 yr old -- who could do something about it. (I would never do that but -- it worked!)
ArtZoneStudios said
on 10/17/2009 At our schools, we have a 'Bully proofing' series of workshops that really help kids address the issues. We role play, etc. Some of the kids who are bullies know the right answers, too! The problem is, they are working out an issue for themselves via bully behaviors. When other children are educated to what bullying is and how to eliminate it, even the bullies calm down. Bullies are frequently weak or have been bullied at home, etc. and are trying the behavior out elsewhere. They can learn how not to be bullied or be a bully, and many choose to do so. They finally find safety for themselves in good behaviors.
peekiebeach said
on 8/20/2009 Great advise! I have read some other articles on ehow that had scary advise on how to deal with bullies. Your article tells the correct way to address the situation.
My son was once taunted by a bully in grade school. I am embarrassed to say that I got on the bus and confronted him myself, I really behaved badly, but he never bullied my son again, this was about 20 years ago, if you got on a bus these days and acted the way I did ..you would be arrested. But I would do the same thing over again, I cannot stand the thoughts of a child being bullied. The would can be a cruel place sometimes!
sammysfirefox22 said
on 7/19/2009 great article with great information 5 *****
derhalster said
on 11/15/2007 how should I approach a new neighbor whom I've caused to move his whole-house aircon compressor from being too close to our bedroom (contrary to local regulations) and who has not spoken to me since I first made the request. I had been informed by the realtor that the contract for the house contained the requirement that the aircon be moved and the vendor had mad a financial allowance to the purchaser, my new neighbor, to cover the cost...but when I first approched him, he said that he had not been tols and that there was no allowance. Sorry if that's all a bit screwed up, but hopefully you'll understand the situation.