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Social Control and Criminal Deviance

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Social Control and Criminal Deviance: Bullying
By Jonah Miller
Strayer University Sociology 100
Professor Catherine Terry
August 10th 2015

Bullying has become a permanent part of schoolyard play. It is sad but true. Bullying has three key components. First; unwanted, aggressive behavior. Second; a real or perceived power imbalance. Third; recurrence, and the potential to be repeated over time. The mixture of these three dynamics creates a situation that moves beyond conflict to become persistent persecution. There is a strong relationship between bias and bullying. The targets of bullies are often from a group marginalized because of certain characteristic such as race, immigration status, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, gender identity or size.
What’s the most effective tool against bullying you may ask? By creating an inclusive learning environment that supports all students, educators maintain a space that is inhospitable to those who would bully. Everyone including administrators, teachers, cafeteria staff, bus drivers, assistants, substitute teachers, parents and students has a role to play in creating an anti-bullying climate. This culture must exist from the cafeteria to the classroom. Also remember that not all bullying looks the same. Harder-to-detect actions, such as spreading rumors or isolating a student from friends, can also constitute bullying. Students may hesitate to even call the harassment they’re enduring “bullying”.
Will every bully turn into a Hitler or Ted Bundy? No, of course not. Bullying should be attacked head on and rooted out now before it become more prevalent in our culture. I’ve worked with individuals that were school yard bullies. You can tell by the way the treat others and their persistent ruthless attacks on others. They can become psychopaths that are hard to recognize and can get into positions of power that

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