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Let’s start an open conversation about bullying

With the dramatic increase of computer use in and for school in recent years and a near 100 per cent Internet connectivity in Singapore, bullying has taken on a new form.

Bullying is exceptionally hard to investigate; many incidents reported as bullying will not be determined as such due to loose definitions that surround bullying. PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

Bullying is exceptionally hard to investigate; many incidents reported as bullying will not be determined as such due to loose definitions that surround bullying. PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

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With the dramatic increase of computer use in and for school in recent years and a near 100 per cent Internet connectivity in Singapore, bullying has taken on a new form.

A 2012 Microsoft study across 25 countries has highlighted the prevalence of online bullying in Singapore. Behind China, Singapore is regarded as having the second-highest rate of online bullying among youth aged eight to 17. Bullies easily hide behind computer screens or smartphones, emboldened by anonymity, vicious in their invasive attacks via perpetual access to their victims.

In the United States and the United Kingdom, national guidelines on what constitutes cyberbullying have been outlined and since put into legislation.

However, definitions of cyberbullying are still unclear in Singapore. In a 2011 Singapore Polytechnic survey on Internet privacy and bullying, it was found that many had varying perceptions of what constitutes cyberbullying. Many individuals also ignored the cyberbullying incident when faced with it. This attests further to the lack of public awareness and inadequate management of bullying at an individual and societal level.

A recent study of youth aged 11 to 17 by Boston Children’s Hospital found that bullying was associated with poorer mental and physical health, greater depression symptoms and lower self-worth. Numerous other studies have also highlighted the decreased academic achievement that bullying is associated with. Youth involved in bullying are more likely to miss, skip or drop out of school. Perhaps most interesting is that similar symptoms are found for both victims and perpetrators of bullying.

WORKPLACE BULLYING

Last year, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) conducted a general Happiness Poll surveying more than 5,000 of their union members.

Good relationships with colleagues and supervisors were the main reasons cited by individuals who rated themselves as happy and motivated at their workplace and likely to stay on in their jobs. Positive relationships at work played a key role in one’s job and workplace satisfaction. Conversely, workplace bullying will clearly have a detrimental effect on one’s job satisfaction.

At present, there is no fixed definition of workplace bullying in Singapore. Workplace bullying may be seen as a person’s progressive series of malicious actions that jeopardises another’s job and health.

The psychological effects of workplace bullying include recurrent anxiety, perhaps even post-traumatic stress, panic attacks, depression and feelings of guilt and shame for having “allowed” oneself to be bullied. Physically, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal problems — such as hypertension and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome — may appear.

Bullying is under-reported at work. Many victims think that their grievances would be branded as mere “inter-personal conflicts” or “personality differences”. There are also fears of reprisals or retaliation.

Studies have found that many workplace bullies receive positive evaluations from their managers and achieve high levels of career success. Considering this, the threat of victims being ostracised is real.

EMPOWERING VICTIMS

With the new anti-harassment law, we appear determined to identify and punish the perpetrators.

The reality is that bullying is exceptionally hard to investigate and many incidents reported as bullying will not be determined as such due to loose definitions that surround bullying. This is further exacerbated by our hypersensitivity to the word “bullying”, where we flit from extremes of categorising every other action as bullying or simply not mentioning this taboo subject.

We need definitions and investigations to separate “normal” behaviour from the truly malicious. Not calling bullying “bullying”, in order to avoid offending others is a disservice to individuals whose school life, jobs, careers and health have been threatened as a result.

Prominent American writer Tom Engelhardt has stated that “words denied mean analyses not offered, things not grasped ... all of which mean that terrible mistakes are repeated”.

Initiating this anti-harassment law is a step in the right direction towards an open conversation about bullying.

But we must not forget that this alone will not mitigate the harm done to those who have been bullied.

This conversation on bullying must incorporate services for those who have been bullied to help empower them to move beyond what has happened without judging or dismissing their experience.

In the long run, switching from an anti-bullying perspective to a bullying-prevention perspective is crucial. We must create an environment that prevents bullying before it happens, as opposed to simply reacting to it when it does. But, bullying can and will still happen even in the schools and workplaces with the best prevention efforts.

As such, the anti-harassment law also needs to ensure that our responses to bullying are as productive and meaningful as our prevention efforts.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr Joel Yang, a clinical psychologist, heads the Master of Counselling programme at SIM University.

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