In honor of October’s National Bullying Prevention month, the Scientology Information Center invites the community to raise their awareness on bullying and its causes through a film outlining the characteristics of the Anti-Social Personality. The Center is open from 10:30am to 7:00pm Sunday through Friday and from 2:00pm to 7:00pm on Saturdays.

“A survey conducted in 2022 by the Pew Research Center stated that 46% of all teens had been cyberbullied. A 2021 survey conducted by the Workplace Bullying Institute found that 30% of adults have also been bullied,” said Lisa Mansell, from the Public Affairs department at the Church of Scientology. “The motivations behind bullies are not difficult to confront, once you know why the bully acts the way they do.”

Mansell also cites a 2017 survey done for the American Osteopathic Association: which states “Victims of bullying reported significant negative impacts on their health” including stress, anxiety and lack of confidence.

To help the victims of bullying, the Scientology Information Center is highlighting an episode from the Scientology TV Network: The Anti-Social Personality/The Social Personality based on the work of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.

“There are specific characteristics that bullies have – bullies can be loud and antagonistic, they can be quiet and sly, but they all have common traits and these traits are what makes a person an anti-social personality,” said Ms. Mansell.

One of these traits is the tendency to speak in broad generalities.

“A cyberbully might tell a teen girl that ‘everyone thinks she is ugly’ – but trying to get the bully to actually name anyone will be impossible, and usually comes down to one person who didn’t even say anything derogatory,” said Ms. Mansell. “But if you don’t know that, you are at risk of being victimized.”

The film is available on demand in the Scientology Information Center. The Center is located at 500 Cleveland Street. For more information, please call 727-467-6860.

About the Church of Scientology:
The Scientology religion was founded by humanitarian and philosopher, L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was formed in the United States in 1954 and has expanded to more than 11,000 churches, missions and affiliated groups, with millions of members in 167 nations. To learn more, visit www.scientology.org