When it comes to bullying, Cathedral Catholic High School students want the violence to stop.

However, in order to stop bullying among those students at CCHS, students must first understand why people bully in the first place.

“I think people bully others because they are insecure about themselves,” senior Cailan Healy said. “They put others down to try and make themselves feel better, but that’s not the way to do it.”

According to the National Bullying Prevention Center, one out of every four students in the United States report being bullied during the school year,

October is National Bullying Prevention Month in the U.S. Developed in 2006 by the Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights, this month-long event is dedicated to encouraging students, teachers, and parents to take an active role in the bullying prevention movement. The message spread by this year’s prevention month is “The end of bullying begins with me.”

The end of bullying begins with individuals, but is much more effective when those individuals band together to inspire change on a larger scale.

CCHS AP Psychology teacher, Mr. Frank Caro, wants students to know some of the psychological reasons that bullying occurs and continues.

“The bystander effect is the psychosocial phenomenon that if someone needs help in some way, they are more likely to receive help when there are fewer people around,” Mr. Caro said.

This effect relates to the concept of a diffusion of responsibility in the eyes of the bystanders, or those who are not being directly affected by the bullying. The more people who are present, the less the individual feels this responsibility and thus, not doing something becomes the norm. This concept directly relates to how people respond to bullying when they see it.

“In their minds they might think ‘this is wrong’ or ‘I’m glad I’m not the target’, but they don’t do anything,” Mr. Caro said. “But when someone does do something, they are relieved.”

On the contrary, Mr. Caro explained that the great thing about the bystander effect is the result once people are aware of it.

“Being aware that your tendency will be to follow the group will help you recognize when not to conform, even if it’s the easier option,” senior Mimi Burbank said. “You’ll be more likely to help someone.”

Another way that bullying can be prevented is by the cliché “put yourself in other’s shoes.” No one wants to be a bully, be bullied or stand by as someone is being bullied.

“Empathy outweighs conformity,” Mr. Caro said.

In honor of Bullying Prevention Month, students are encouraged to adopt the mindset that “the end of bullying begins with me,” especially those students who call CCHS their home.