Teasers, bullies
may be clueless,
desire to control
Psychology experts advise
victims to speak up and
confront their tormentors
By Kim Chapman
Copy Chief
Kids on the playground do it.
Adults in cubicles do it. Rappers de
vote song after song to it. It doesn't
cause cancer or ruin checking ac
counts, but making fun of others has
a spot in the world of vices.
Making fun of others can take many
different forms, such as playful teasing
among friends or antagonistic put
downs between enemies. Likewise,
people make fun of others for a variety
of reasons.
'That kind of behavior would proba
bly suggest insensitivity or a malicious
ness," University Counseling and Test
ing Center senior staff psychologist Ron
Miyaguchi said.
Among adults, it may also be an is
sue of cluelessness or a lack of social
cues on the part of the person who does
it. Teasing can be harmless depending
on the context and the norms of a
group, Miyaguchi added.
Bullying is an extreme form of
making fun of others and includes
public humiliation, physical aggres
sion and verbal harassment. About 15
percent of adolescent students are ei
ther bullied regularly or initiate bully
ing behavior, according to
http://www.AboutHealth.com.
Children and adolescents who bully
try to maintain their social status by at
tacking others, said Massachusetts Gen
eral Hospital child psychiatrist Dr.
Paula Rauch on AboutHealth.com. The
perpetrator may have low self-esteem or
feel the need to have control over some
body else, which would explain why
they put others down, Rauch said.
On the other hand, researchers at
UCLA are trying to dispel the notion
that youths who bully have low self-es
teem. The UCLA studies have found
that bullies are often popular and psy
chologically strong; they do not need
ego boosters or feel lonely. A report on
the research is available at
http://www.college.ucla.edu/juvo
nen.htm.
Adults who make fun of others may
not realize they are doing it Clemson
University psychology Professor Robin
Kowalski told NPR's Morning Edition
on Dec. 3, 2003. Still, bad behavior
functions to increase the instigator's
control, she said. Kowalski, the author
of "Complaining, Teasing and Other
Annoying Behaviors," asserts that West
ern society is ruder than it used to be
and is filled with incivility. In adult
hood, teasing can even manifest itself
in sexual harassment, Kowalski said.
While it may be funny to the instiga
tor, the person being teased may feel
hurt or have lasting effects from being a
target. Miyaguchi said he does not
come across many students who visit
the counseling center who are picked
on presently, but they may be dealing
with the cumulative effects of being
teased when they were younger.
Adults interpret being made fun of
in different ways depending on con
text, personality and their history
dealing with it, according to a study
by University of Kentucky researchers
published in the August 2003 Journal
of Personality.
"Although childhood teasing is often
unambiguously hostile, in adulthood
teasing... these negative comments are
often framed with verbal and nonver
bal cues or playful markers, such as
laughter or smiling that allow the teas
ing comment not to be taken serious
ly, " the researchers wrote. The duality of
negative statements and humor cues is
what makes teasing ambiguous and
creates room for interpretation.
Miyaguchi and Kowalski contend
that adults should speak up and tell
their perpetrator that the teasing is
bothersome.
Ihe person being made fun of "bears
some responsibility to take action or to
say something" Miyaguchi said.
It is better to acknowledge hurtful
comments rather than retaliate and
start a vicious cycle, Kowalski said. It is
important to speak up because the oth
er person may not be aware of what
they are doing.
"I think ideally people outgrow that
kind of behavior," Miyaguchi said.
Contact the copy chief
at kimchapman@dailyemerald.com
GAMBLING
continued from page 2B
games, from cards to video poker to
the lottery. Online gambling has also
emerged as a major new tool for stu
dents who like to wager.
Marotta said gambling becomes
more common as access to it increas
es. Oregon has eight casinos, with an
other planned for Florence, along
with video poker and a state-spon
sored lottery.
One slot supervisor at Chinook
Winds Casino in Lincoln City said he
commonly sees college-age gamblers in
the pit where the blackjack, craps and
roulette tables are located.
"Especially when they're playing
craps, it looks like the/re betting pretty
good," Paul Reedy said, adding that
slots also attract college-aged gamblers.
Student problem gamblers often fit
a profile, according to the Minnesota
study. They tend to be men and are
more likely to engage in risky behav
ior, such as drinking and using illegal
drugs, than non-gamblers. They also
tend to have relatively high dispos
able incomes.
Perhaps surprisingly, the study found
that a student's GPA and credit card
debt load were unrelated to gambling
problems.
Gambling is particularly prevalent
among student-athletes. A University of
Michigan study found that 72 percent
of student-athletes gambled during col
lege and 28 percent gambled on sports.
Contact the campus/
federal politics reporter
at chuckslothower@dailyemerald.com.
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