Bullies and their victims are more likely to engage in violent behavior than those who have never been involved in bullying. In both aggressor and victim, bullying is a sign of potential psychiatric disorder. It is primarily physical in children, becomes relational aggression in adolescents, and often appears in the form of sexual harassment in adulthood. The causes of bullying include the desire to control, revenge, envy, and emotional distress. Bullies have often themselves been bullied. Teachers are frequently reluctant to report bullying, even if they view it as a problem. Bullying deprives children of safety and security, but prevention and intervention are all too often not part of school curricula. The unique characteristics of bully and victim, risk factors leading to bullying behavior, the influence of the parents, and the roles of gender relationships and sex differences are explored in this article.
The need to escape reality and the taste for adventure with the unknown fills a universal need for both adults and children. Fairy tales have a powerful grip on the imagination because they are homespun versions of myths and have passionate intensity without epic grandeur. The happy ending of fairy tales reflects gender stereotyping because the heroine usually does very little except sit, wish, and wait for marriage. She has no control over her destiny and no active involvement in selecting or planning her future. These heroines are really passive victims. Sexism was once rampant in children's books. The Oz books, with their independent, courageous, and active heroine were way ahead of their time. The advent of women's liberation has led to a reappraisal of the female in folk literature. Anthropologists have now discovered stories of admirable women who were strong characters in their own epic dramas.
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