Skip to main content

Students Who Defend Victims of Bullying

 

Students Who Defend Victims of Bullying

In schools, bullying there is a big problem, some students are victims, and others just watch. But there are also students who try to help. These students are called defenders. They want to protect the victims and stop the bullying. The article from StopBullying.gov talks about these defenders and why they are important.

Defenders are not the same as bystanders, bystanders do nothing, they see the bullying but they stay silent. Defenders are different, they feel that bullying is not right, they feel sad when someone is hurt and they think: “What if that was me?” So some of them decide to act.

There are many ways to help, some defenders speak to the bully and say, “Stop that.” Others go to help the victim and say kind words. Some students talk to a teacher or to an adult. Some stay with the victim so the victim does not feel alone. All these actions can help stop the bullying or make it less bad.

The article explains that defenders have some special qualities. For example, they have empathy. That means they understand how others feel. They also have self-confidence, so they are not afraid to speak. They usually have good communication skills and believe in justice and they want things to be fair for everyone.

The article also says that when defenders help, the victims feel better. They feel less afraid and less alone. They feel that someone cares about them. This is very important for their mental health.

I think being a defender is very important, It is not easy, it takes courage to speak up. Many students are afraid that if they help, the bully will attack them too, but defenders show that it is possible to be strong and kind at the same time.

As a psychology student, I think we must learn how to support these defenders. We must understand why they do it and how to help more students become defenders. We can teach empathy, respect, and communication in class. We can also show students that asking for help is not weak, it is smart.

In the future, I want to work with children and teenagers. I want to help them feel safe and confident. This article showed me that small actions can make a big difference. Even one student saying “stop” can change the situation. That gives me hope. If more students become defenders, bullying will be less in our schools.


StopBullying.gov. (s.f.). Espectadores del acoso. Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de EE. UU. Recuperado el 5 de junio de 2025, de https://espanol.stopbullying.gov/prevención-mkgw/espectadores-del-acoso    

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Definition of Bullying

 Hi everyone! The World Anti-Bullying Forum, together with UNESCO, created a Working group for establishing a new definition of school bullying. Its new definition keeps the idea that bullying requires unwanted repetitive aggressiveness and imbalance of power, and adds the idea that this power imbalance is supported by societal and institutional norms. The emphasis is now in the idea that bullying is not an affair among students but a social process. The new definition is this one: School bullying is a damaging social process that is characterized by an imbalance of power driven by social (societal) and institutional norms. It is often repeated and manifests as unwanted interpersonal behaviour among students or school personnel that causes physical, social, and emotional harm to the targeted individuals or groups, and the wider school community. You can find the document where it is explained  here . Fes
Post a Comment
Read more

Salutogenic approach and a personal opinion

  As I briefly mentioned in my previous post, on the website called PDA Bullying , among various resources, there is a section dedicated to explain the Salutogenic approach . After doing some research, it becomes clear that this approach gets its name because its main goal is to promote health and well-being . The platform aims to address bullying from this perspective, adopting a strength-based approach that focuses on individuals' potential and the creation of a cooperative community working toward a shared goal . It slightly reminds me of the No Blame Approach we studied in class, as it also refers to a method based on compassion and a solution-focused outlook , rather than assigning blame. Their aim is not simply to act against bullying, but rather to overcome it , moving beyond a simplistic understanding of bullying as just a dynamic between two individuals. Instead, they view it as a broader social process . For this reason, the protocol designed and implemented by...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Simpsons: Bull-E

  Bull-E - The Simpsons (Season 26, Episode 21) The Simpsons has reflected bullying as a complex issue through their episodes, whether through Bart’s pranks, Nelson’s struggles, or Springfield’s collective response, the show highlights the importance of addressing bullying thoughtfully and empathetically.  Many schools and communities have anti-bullying policies, but the debates arise about how to enforce them without oppressing free expression or over-penalizing minor infractions. The episode of The Simpsons reflects these concerns by showing the challenges of finding a balance. It highlights how good intentions, like preventing bullying (passing an Anti-Bullying law), can sometimes go way too far, leading to unintended consequences. Also, it brings up the difficulty of bullying’s definition, what feels like bullying to one person might seem harmless to another, that is Homer’s storyline, which reminds us that our words and actions, even if unintended, can impact on others d...
Post a Comment
Read more