How does one know if an act is already a form of bullying?
Michelle Abigail Bonafe, a registered psychometrician and program head of the Youth Life Enrichment Program of the Philippine Mental Health Association, guested in “Share Ko Lang” with psychologist Dr. Anna Tuazon, where she shared the three Ps involved in bullying: power, purpose, and persistence.
For power, Bonafe explained that it is having advantage or strength over someone.
“Ang example no’n siguro [ay] ‘yung pananakit, paninipa, ‘no? Puwede rin ‘yung pagtawag ng mga pangalan kasi ginagamit ‘yung impluwensya, ‘yung lakas para i-downplay at sabihin na ito ka lang because of name calling,” she said.
The second P, purpose, looks into the intention why one treated another person the way they did.
“Ito ba ay because you want the person to be harmed, to be intimidated or controlled? So, kapag may ganun, ‘yung purpose niya, that’s bullying,” she explained.
The last P is persistence
“Ang ibig sabihin nito ay paulit-ulit, repeated at specific person ‘yung tinatarget every time,” she said.
“Kapag meron itong tatlong ‘to, doon natin masasabi na bullying ‘yung ginagawa sa atin.”
But how does bullying differ from disrespect, teasing, and powerplay?
Bonafe reminded that teasing can be playful between those involved.
“Nagkabiruan or one-time thing lang, pero kapag paulit-ulit na siya na ginagawa, and again with the intention to hurt that person, that becomes bullying,” she said.
Meanwhile, disrespect is about the lack of courtesy and lack of regard for a person.
“It can happen between same level, so parehong estudyante, parehong magkatrabaho o magkaparehas na teachers, gan’yan. Sometimes, ang disrespect nangyayari siya out of frustration, minsan unaware na nagagawa iyon. Pero again, ‘pag pumasok ‘yung tatlong P, like repetitive siya, ang intensyon mo is to hurt, it starts to become bullying,” she said.
Lastly, powerplay’s dynamics use position, influence, or an advantage to control or manipulate someone.
“Pero because power lang siya, it’s about powerplay, ginagamit ‘yung position. Kunwari teacher sa students, or administrator to teachers, pero kapagka nagkakaroon na again nung purpose and then persistence, that becomes bullying,” she explained.
— Carby Rose Basina/CDC, GMA Integrated News
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