What is Bullying?
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The repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. Bullying can be physical, verbal or psychological. It can happen face-to-face or online.​
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There are four key elements to this definition:
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hurtful
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repetition
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power imbalance
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intentional
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In this short video you will hear about what we mean by a 'power imbalance.'
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Bullying behavior can be:
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Physical – pushing, poking, kicking, hitting, biting, pinching etc.
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Verbal - name calling, sarcasm, spreading rumors, threats, teasing, belittling.
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Emotional – isolating others, tormenting, hiding books, threatening gestures, ridicule, humiliation, intimidating, excluding, manipulation and coercion.
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Sexual – unwanted physical contact, inappropriate touching, abusive comments, homophobic abuse, exposure to inappropriate films etc.
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Online /cyber – posting on social media, sharing photos, sending nasty text messages, social exclusion
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Indirect - Can include the exploitation of individuals.
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Bullying tends to be a group behavior
Research undertaken in Finland by Christina Salmivalli (1996) gave us a greater understanding of the roles involved in bullying. It showed that the traditional view of bullying where there is simply a ‘victim’ and a ‘bully’ was in fact more complicated, and that there are others who can have a significant influence on the outcomes of behaviors, intentionally or otherwise.
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