‘Want to know all about bullying and psychological conditioning? Also, would you like to know how they relate? Here is everything you need to know about.
Bullying is just another form of abuse. As with any kind of abuse, it has the power to condition if you let it. In other words, bullying is a form of brainwashing.
Therefore, in this post, you will learn all about bullying and psychological conditioning so that you’ll recognize it when it happens to you.
Once you learn all about this important information, you will not only be able to know the symptoms of the conditioning that comes with bullying, you will be able to more effectively defend against it.
This post is all about bullying and psychological conditioning so that you can better recognize it and protect yourself against it.
Bullying and Psychological Conditioning
If you endure bullying long enough, it can slowly reprogram your mind and turn you against yourself, if you aren’t careful. It will blind you to your value as a human being. It will hijack your brain and cause you to see yourself through the lens of your bullies.
Then, you will loath yourself just as your bullies do. This is what you don’t want!
So, how do bullying and psychological conditioning relate and what does it do?
Bullying Conditions You to accept Bigger and More Severe Abuses.
Bullying conditions you gradually and incrementally – bit by tiny bit. In the beginning it’s so subtle that you don’t even know you’re being brainwashed.
Bullies start off taking teeny-weeny bites out of the your self-esteem. Moreover, during the first few weeks or months, they increase the abuse ever so slowly.
Bullies do this step by itsy-bitsy step. Again, this happens so slowly and such tiny increments that you don’t know what’s happening.
Yet, something deep in the pit of your gut tells you that something is off. All you know is that something doesn’t feel too good. However, you can’t quite put your finger on it. It’s that subtle!
This is your gut instinct trying to warn you. Therefore, this is your first clue.
1. Bullying and Psychological Conditioning:
Your body will Tell You if you pay attention to it.
Here how this happens.
When you meet your bullies for the first time, you pick up some really creepy vibes from them. Moreover, you feel it in the pit of your stomach.
You’ll sense something about these creeps that feels “off.” And sometimes, you’ll feel it before the first words are exchanged.
You’ll sense them watching your every move, scoping you out, studying you like a specimen. You may look up from whatever you’re doing and see, out of the corner of your eye, a few of these people eyeing you from a distance.
Then you,ll see them look at each other and smirk. You’ll also notice that eerie twinkle in their eyes. You might even see a micro-flash or two of contempt.
Don’t ignore this!
The Process of Escalation
Understand that these bullies are sizing you up. In other words, they’re probing to see how you respond or react to their subtle slights and digs.
If you react the way they predict or you don’t react at all, bullies will see this as a green light.
Next, they’ll begin committing slightly bigger violations. Understand that bullies do this deliberately to soften you up for bigger attacks. They make the abuse virtually unrecognizable… until it isn’t anymore.
By the time it’s recognizable, the abuse is so severe and out of control that the bullies and their minions can no longer help themselves. In fact, they’ve already gotten brazen with their attacks.
In other words, they don’t even try to hide it anymore. Along the way, they’ve stopped putting in the work to hide it.
Why? Because, by now, they’ve gotten away with it for so long that there’s no incentive to stop?
Therefore, by the time the abuse becomes obvious, it’s usually too late. Why? Because everyone has grown accustomed to bullying the target. In fact, they’ve gotten comfortable with it.
And once they’ve grown accustomed to bullying and abusing you, it’s almost impossible to get them to leave you alone, no matter what you do to defend yourself.
2. Bullying and Psychological Conditioning:
What happens if you wait to long to stand up to bullies?
When the target finally gets fed up and begins asserting themselves, bullies will only double down on the attacks. They communicate through their actions that they don’t give a damn about your rights as a human being.
Your pain will mean nothing to them. They’ll only see you as a victim and they’ll damn well make sure you stay a victim.
And why not? For so long, your bullies have gotten a payoff from abusing you. And hell will freeze over before they give up those benefits.
Therefore, when you finally begin defending yourself at this stage in the game, here’s what happens. Bullies and everyone else only responds with outrage. The unwritten message is, “How dare you!”
Bullies get super offended when anyone they deem inferior finally grows a spine. So, they’ll do everything they can to break your will and keep getting their sick, sadistic jollies.
Because, how dare you try to take away their fun? It doesn’t matter if they’ve been getting it at your expense.
Again, bullying and conditioning starts out small and subtle. Therefore, you must learn how to recognize it when it first begins.
Why? Because, the longer it goes on and the bigger the abuses get, the harder it is to defend yourself against it and put a stop to it.
I can’t stress this enough.
The one thing that will help you recognize it is that your body will feel it. You’ll sense it in the vibes they put out. So, pay attention.
3. The Environment That Conditions You Most
What is the environment that conditions and shapes you the most when you’re in school or working? I’ll give you a hint: It isn’t the home!
Bullying and Psychological Conditioning:
Our environments determine our mental health.
The environments you spend the most time in has ways of molding and shaping you. This goes especially during your formative years.
For example, a child who grows up in an abusive environment will likely grow up to be an abusive adult. Moreover, they may grow up to be a weak and powerless victim to human predators.
Remember that a person’s formative years (childhood) is the most impressionable and it determines their future!
Yes. There are exceptions. A few kids do develop a strong sense of self, either through dogged determination or an outside mentor. These are the kids who make it out and create successful lives for themselves.
However, most aren’t that lucky, and it’s sad.
You have three types of environments:
- Nourishing Environment (Very Healthy)
- Neutral Environment (Somewhat Healthy)
- Toxic Environment (Unhealthy)
Understand that the environment you spend most of your day in, will the one that likely conditions you. And if you spend most of your day-to-day life in a bullying environment, your mental health will suffer if you aren’t careful!
For example, a certain school kid lives in a loving and healthy home. However, his classmates at school bully him mercilessly.
Bullying and Psychological Conditioning:
4. Bullied Kids Spend most of their waking hours in school. let’s do the math.
A child or teen who is growing must have around 10 hours of sleep per day. Therefore, subtract 10 hours from 24 hours and you’re left with 14 waking hours.
The average young student then spends about 8 hours per day in school. Subtract 8 hours from 14 waking hours and you have only six waking hours away from school.
Next, we must factor in commuting time on the school bus. For the average schoolkid, this equals 30 minutes to 1 hour, one way.
Therefore, that’s 1-2 hours round trip. Keep in mind that most kids who are bullied at school are also bullied on the school bus.
Subtract that from 6 waking hours and the schoolkid has only 4-5 waking hours in her loving and nourishing environment at home.
24 Hours (One Day)
-10 hours (Sleep)
-8 hours (School)
-1 or 2 hours (School bus)
= only 4 to 5 hours awake at home
Therefore, that bullied child, although living in a loving and nourishing home environment, spends twice as many waking hours in a toxic school environment.
Consequently, the bullying they suffer at school will likely negate the love and acceptance he gets at home. Sadly, bullies may succeed in causing them to have low self-esteem.
Even sadder, the kids who suffer bullying at school and abuse at home will take an even bigger hit to the self-esteem. Why? Because these kids can’t get away from it. They have no reprieve from bullying.
Bullying and Psychological Conditioning:
In Conclusion
How a student is treated at school has a huge impact on their mental health. It doesn’t matter how loving and nurturing their home life is.
Granted, having a positive home life does help. However, the bullying a child suffers at school will likely nullify any love and acceptance they receive at home.
Moreover, adults send most of their waking hours at work. Therefore, workplace bullies can condition them as well.
So, how do we Prevent or Lessen the Conditioning from Bullying?
With children and teens, you simply create opportunities for them to make friends outside of school. This will create more positive social experiences for them.
As a result, you’ll help to create an even balance between the bullying and negativity they suffer and the friendships and positivity they enjoy. Even better, it might even tip the scales, creating more positive interactions than negative!
This will buffer the child’s self-esteem from the bullying they get at school.
You can help them create positive connections by sending them to summer camp. Also, you can do it by enrolling them in a martial arts class.
Attending neighborhood or family outings where other kids are present also helps. Also, attending church and church functions is another great idea.
This also goes for bullied adults as well. Another thing adults can do is take a course or two. This is a wonderful opportunity to establish positive connections.
There are many, many opportunities available! So, go for it! Give yourself or your bullied child these wonderful experiences! You’ll create awesome memories that will last a lifetime!
This post is all about bullying and psychological conditioning, how to recognize it, and how to mitigate it so that you can save your self-esteem.
Related posts you’ll enjoy:
1. Conditioning: 5 Signs You’re Being Conditioned
2. Psychological Effects of Gaslighting: 11 Ways it Impacts Victims
3. Negative Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: 9 Ways it Plagues Victims of Bullying
4. Bullying and Self Confidence: 7 Steps to Keeping Your Confidence Up When People Bully You
Cherie, this is all so true. If it hadn’t been for outside opportunity, I would have been more of a total wreck before I moved out of the toxic environment.
Same for me, Michael. I’m blessed that I had an abundance of outside opportunities. I dated in the college age range in high school. Moreover, I lived a mile for the county line. So, I was able to get an afterschool job in the next county and I get along with everyone.