WHAT IS BULLYING?
Bullying refers to unwanted, aggressive and repeated behavior, typically, among school kids that may involve an actual or perceived imbalance of power
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What is Bullying?
To be considered bullying, the behavior must be repeated or may become repetitive with time. Kids who bully or are bullied may have serious problems that need to be addressed.
Basically, the purpose of bullying is to you hurt someone emotionally or physically. Usually, this type of behavior is aimed at others because of their gender, religion, race, looks, or sexual orientation, just to name a few.
There are three characteristics that define bullying
Aggressive behavior​
While bullying, the behavior of the bully is aggressive.
Imbalance of Power
Typically, kids who bully abuse their power, popularity, or have access to embarrassing information that they use to hurt or control other kids. Over time, the power imbalance may change based on situations.
Repetition
This is the third characteristics that define bullying. Bullying always involves repeated behaviors. In other words, the child who bully repeats negative comments or remarks over and over again to have fun
Common types of behavior of a bully
- Keeping someone out of a team or group whether it’s an online or offline setting
- Behaving unpleasantly with or near someone
- Making nasty/rude
- comments/gestures, being impolite/rude, calling names and teasing repeatedly
- Starting/spreading lies or rumors or misrepresenting someone on social media or other platforms. For instance, using someone’s Facebook or Twitter account to post mean comments or messages.
- Harassing someone on the basis of their gender, disability, religion, sex or race
- Stalking someone
- Hurting someone emotionally or physically over and over again
- Abuse of power over another child, such as a Student Representative or Prefect
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Bullying vs Conflict
It’s important to understand the difference between bullying and conflict since both share some similar characteristics.
We all have conflicts from time to time, and it’s part of our life.
Learning to deal with conflicts helps all of us polish our social skills. On the other hand bullying involves abuse of power that results in significant consequences. Bullying is always unhealthy from all aspects.
Conflict refers to an argument or disagreement in which both the parties express their views Bullying involves negative, repeated behavior that is aggressive enough to hurt and gain control over someone. Often, a bully gets involved in bullying for fun. They have fun when the person who they bully gets hurt emotionally or physically.
Characteristics of Conflict
You can identify conflict in more ways than one. First, in case of a conflict, both the parties share equal power in their relationship. Neither of the parties try to get control over the other. Despite their disagreement, they show respect to each other.
Also, people who are in a conflict may feel remorse. They may even take the responsibility for what they have done, and may take possible steps to resolve the issue. They try to reach an agreement to restore their relationship and have fun again.
Unlike bullying, conflicts happen every now and then, not repeatedly. They may not be serious or emotionally damaging to the other person.
- Equal power in relationships
- Feelings of remorse
- Both children/parties are upset
- Feelings of remorse
- A desire to resolve the issue to restore the relationship
- Occasional
- May not be emotionally or physically damaging
Characteristics of Bullying
The primary characteristics of bullying is that it involves a deliberate act that goal of which is to insult, threaten or hurt another person. Often, there is a power imbalance between the child who bully or the child who is bullied. Bully tries to have control over another child through humiliation, harassment, or intimidation.
Also, bullying is always done on purpose, repeatedly. In other words, it involves negative actions that are ongoing. Although the bullying tactics are different in different situations, the bully targets the same child repeatedly with the intent of hurting them for fun. Also, bullying has serious emotional or physical consequences.
A bully feels little to no remorse for his actions and their target is visibly upset. In addition, bullies have fun from hurting others, and don’t try to resolve anything. They don’t want to develop a healthy relationship with the target.
So, it’s important to understand that not every hurtful or negative action is considered bullying. At times, it’s just unkind behavior.
- A power imbalance
- Bully has fun, while victim suffers
- No remorse
- Bully makes no attempt to resolve the issue
- Bullying is repetitive
- May have serious physical or emotional consequences
