Cultural Anthropology Cyberbullying

Cultural Anthropology
Instructor: Professor Don Osborn “Cyber bulling, School Bullying, and Psychological Distress”
Written by: Traci Hughes and Omar Johnson February 5, 2012

I have read and understand the section in the syllabus (page 6) relating to IWU’s Honesty/Cheating Policy. By affixing this statement to the title page of my homework submission, I am certifying that I have not cheated or plagiarized in the process of completing this assignment. If it is found that cheating and/or plagiarism did take place in the writing of this paper I understand the possible consequences of the act which could include expulsion from Indiana Wesleyan University.

The results of any form of bullying is troubling, the effects on victims
and those family members in some cases lead to catastrophic outcomes or a change in which a victim conducts his or her life. In any case, to change the way you live or stop participating in your favorite activities because of who is waiting for you down the street or in school is the best way to fuel and promote the negative behavior of any bully. All bullies feed off of one factor, fear. If they know they control your lifestyle and places fear or shame in your heart then they have accomplishes just what they have been trying to do, control you. What is cyber bullying? Cyber bullying is a new form of aggressions sought out by those individuals looking to embarrass or harm the victim across the World Wide Web by use of social networks, blogs, email, and other devises use for internet reading and sharing. The outcome of this form of bullying is the same as physical bullying, both with their share of outcomes with negative impact. The anthropology process of this study comprised of various groups of young adult grouped by age, gender and sexuality. The number of participants was 20,000 students from the second wave of the Metro West Adolescent Health Survey. This survey is important because it address one of the main areas concerning all parents of victim child suicide. Here are some facts “15.8% of students reported cyber bullying, and 25.9% reported school bullying in the past 12 months. The overlap between cyber bullying and school bullying was substantial: 59.7% of cyber bullying victims were also school bullying victims, and 36.3% of school bullying victims was also cyber bullying victims. Non-heterosexually identified youths were far more likely than were heterosexually identified youths”. What is most alarming with these facts are the following. 37.8% of victims of either cyber or school bully committed self-injury to themselves, 15.2% had suicide attempts, 30% had thoughts of suicide while 6.6% suffer an attempt of suicide with medical treatment. It appears that once a child become victim of bullying he/she fails to speak to adults, thus leading to the child feelings of despair that could trigger an emotional psychological breakdown.
It becomes increasingly important for parents to play a strong role in their child’s life. We have to become aware of the surroundings that our children choose to associate as hobbies, friends and media networking. Also communication is a strong asset, share with them that it is ok to tell an adult if they are bullied or threaten in any manner. Sexual orientation plays a role in traditional and cyber bullying as well. It statics show that if a child lives a homosexual lifestyle or is bisexual they have a higher risk at becoming victims to both cyber and traditional bullying. The thoughts of suicide also are a bit higher within this lifestyle. Regardless of the ethnicity the numbers are
staggering. The authors in this article have several main points that they want to stress, the first of many is to bring about awareness to this world-wide epidemic of bulling that’s taking the lives of our youth. Secondly, to focus on which age groups are mostly the centers of attacks. Thirdly, to find a solution to combat the practices of bullying in our schools and neighborhoods, their intentions are to educate the general public. They wanted to depict differences between cyber bullying and its relationship to school bullying. Understanding the differences between the two could help facilitate and developed a school prevention systems that could aid those that are victimize of this despicable act of behavior.
When taking a look at the length of investigative approaches performed by the authors that conduct this study, it obvious to learn of the great effort put forth to gather such information.
In the field of anthropology all cultural anthropologists rely on one scientific method for gathering information while studying cultural, fieldwork. Field work is the characteristic of all the anthropological sub disciplines and is a main source for gathering information that deal with different cultures and ethnicities. To have hands on approach and the study of any giving topic the foundationally foot work starts with an investigative approach in all subject matter, ultimately ending with a solid conclusion that is not just opinionated but scientific
truth.
In conclusion, the authors of the article try to identify a world-wide epidemic that is affecting our children’s social stability and academic performance. By researching the effects of bullying (rather cyber or school-yard) it allows parents to absorb the harsh realities of what their child could endure as an adolescent under extreme pressure. Children of all ages are taking their own lives as a result of being out-casted by peers of the same group, neighborhood, age, sex, and ethnicity. The real question is why? How far does a child have to be push before his/her mind is made up to commit suicide? We as parents need to beware and actively involved with all social activities and friends that our children consider part of their lives.

Reference
(Shari Kessel Schneider, 2012)
Shari Kessel Schneider, L. O. (2012). Cyberbullying, School Bullying, and Psychological Distress. American Psychological Assoc, 8.