The 5 Psychological Consequences Of Bullying

In this blog, I have dedicated several articles to shedding light on various aspects of the complex issue of bullying. In this writing, I am going to delve more deeply into this topic to analyze the consequences that it leaves, both in the short and long term, in the victims who suffer it.

Every so often, when an unfortunate episode of childhood suicide occurs , the media take a fleeting interest in the issue of bullying. For example, we all remember the media noise raised by the case of Lucía, the 13-year-old girl who, unable to bear the harassment she received at her institute from several classmates, ended her life.

However, after the collective outrage, in a short space of time, the subject falls into oblivion and other news occupies the headlines. The moment the lights go out, thousands of boys and girls who, in almost all schools in our country (and also abroad), suffer bullying on a daily basis, are once again ignored and left to their own devices.

The consequences of bullying on victims

The clearest and most evident effect of harassment occurs in the victim’s self-esteem, which is deeply damaged after the attacks received. These children, by themselves, already tend to have a poor self-image and low self-esteem, so when they suffer bullying, the problem worsens and the child enters a vicious circle of lack of love and contempt for their person. it is very difficult to get out.

Due to the emotional (and on many occasions physical) damage suffered, these little ones tend to withdraw into themselves and stop defending themselves against attacks, which, in turn, encourages the bully (supported by their group), by not encounter any resistance, persist in your harassment.

In addition to the obvious effects on self-esteem, we are going to see another series of consequences that bullying has on the personality of those who suffer it.

1. Poor school performance

This is usually one of the first warning signs. Students who had a normal or high performance, without there being an obvious reason for it, become unmotivated, stop studying and begin to fail.

2. Continuous alert

An explanation of the previous point is that the brain of the victim of bullying does not activate the learning mode, but, continually, remains in defense or survival mode. These boys (and girls) have been found to be in continuous alert mode, their stress hormone levels , tension and anxiety never dropping, just like soldiers who have been in combat.

These little ones, not knowing when or where their bullies are going to appear, are always in a state of alert, in constant vigilance mode. Obviously, what worries them least in those moments are their academic results.

3. Helplessness

By not receiving support from their environment, they feel alone and abandoned in front of their bullies. Their only defense strategy is to pull back on themselves and try to go as unnoticed as possible.

In them, this attitude becomes a pattern of behavior, so in their future they will proceed in the same way both in their jobs, as with their partners or in any other situation in which they feel in danger.

4. Somatizations

As a cause of the high level of stress that victims endure, their immune system is severely affected, leaving them more vulnerable to any external attack. Stomach problems (stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, irritable bowel) are common in these children, but the skin can also be affected by stress.

5. Depression and suicide

If the bullying continues for several years, these children often fall into depression and, in more serious cases, as we have seen, they may come to consider suicide as the only escape from the hell they suffer daily.

Long-term consequences

Although most people are unaware of it, the effects of bullying do not end when they leave high school or college. The victims will carry, for life, the fears and insecurities that were etched in their body and mind during the years of childhood and adolescence. In fact, many of the people who suffered bullying in their childhood, in their adult life present social phobia and fear to face situations that entail public exposure.

In my practice, I see adults who were bullied quite often in their school years. Their reason for consultation is not this, but a low self-esteem, social phobia or problems in their personal relationships, but, when we delve into their stories, we discover the relationship between their present and their past.

Ricardo’s case

Ricardo was one of those cases who came for consultation for a problem that was putting his job at risk.

She worked as a library assistant and felt a huge block every time she had to attend to the public or when she had to admonish someone who was making noise or who was disturbing others. When the time for the loan service drew near or when he heard someone make more noise than the bill, this young man felt excruciating anxiety.

Working with his personal history, we found that Ricardo had suffered bullying in his childhood. His bullies chased him between class and class, hit him, made fun of him, called him with derogatory nicknames, hid his backpack or stole his school supplies, and even, on several occasions, he remembered spending several hours in a closet in the one who had been locked up to laugh at him.

Little by little, after much therapeutic work, Ricardo was recovering his self-esteem and transforming the bad image he had of himself, into a feeling of confidence and security in his person. As an anecdote I will tell you that in one of the sessions he got so angry because he did not have physical and emotional tools to defend himself, that after leaving the consultation, he enrolled in self-defense classes at the gym in his neighborhood.

I want to end this article with a hopeful message for all those people who suffered bullying in their childhood and who continue to drag its consequences years later. It is always possible to get rid of these harmful effects. Sometimes outside help is necessary to be able to do it, but, the painful past can be left behind, it is possible to recover the self-esteem lost in our childhood.