Defeating the Demons Inside: A Study on Individuals Who Have Survived the
Long-Term Effects of Bullying

A Research Proposal
Presented to
Dr. Nymia P. Simbulan
Department of Behavioral Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
University of the Philippines Manila

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Course BS 199.1 (Qualitative Methods in Behavioral Research)

Christiani Lumayag Matugas
2011-31444

April 1, 2013

I. Introduction

Statement of the Problem and Review of Related Literature The school is a battle field and each child is a lone soldier trying to make his/her way through. Each child will have to defeat a series of exams, scary teachers, lab experiments, physical education classes, crushes, mortal enemies and the like. Most of the time, children will learn from these experiences and mature with the lessons that each of these experiences have taught them. However, there are certain battles that wound all too deeply and do not seem to end. These battles are the battles of bullying.

What is Bullying?

Bullying is a social and interpersonal problem that involves the repeated, intentional use of aggression against a less powerful other (Whitney & Smith, 1993). Bullying can take different forms, be it direct (e.g., physical aggression), indirect (e.g., exclusion, spreading rumors), or verbal (e.g., name-calling). (Hunter, Mora-Merchan and Ortega, 2004)

Children who are victims of bullying are more likely than non-victims to experience problems such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem (Austin & Joseph, 1996; Craig, 1998; Stanley & Arora, 1998), and to engage in greater levels of suicidal ideation (Kaltiala-Heino, Rimpela, Marttunen, Rimpela, & Rantanen, 1999; Roland, 2002).

When the individual does something about the situation (fighting back, reporting to an authority or leaving