Page 29 - Waterfall City Issue 5 May 2023

BULLYING:

A BEHAVIOUR

MANAGEMENT

APPROACH

By Dr Ilse Ruane

B ehaviour management

is the umbrella that’s
often used to deal
with behavioural
issues at home and at school.
It is also an effective way of
dealing with bullying. This is
because discipline is what’s
needed in the moment of
inappropriate behaviour – but
discipline needs to be focused
on changing the behavioural
outcome in the future.

The goal must be future-
oriented because the here and
now is far too emotionally laden
to alter without it becoming
punitive.

Punishment is one of the
tools needed for discipline.
Punishment is used when
disciplining, but it needn’t be
punitive. Punitive punishment
invites retaliation and rebellion.
When punishment is punitive,
it has little effect on future
behaviour.

We need to remember that
behaviour is reactive. As
human beings, we respond to a
situation in one of three ways: negatively when bullying occurs, etc) is therefore not necessarily
fight, flight or freeze mode. For a making it virtually impossible for the conducive to bringing about change.
bullying child to learn to change child to be receptive because he or she We need to change and shift the way
their behaviour – and bullying is on the defence. we see bullying.
is a behaviour – the child needs
to be receptive. The problem is The reaction by those in the school Discipline cannot follow a textbook. It
that the entire system responds system (parents, teacher, headmaster, has to be tailormade for each particular

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