What is Bullying?
Bullying is a form of emotional or physical abuse that has three defining characteristics:
1. Deliberate—a bully’s intention is to hurt someone
2. Repeated—a bully often targets the same victim again and again
3. Power Imbalanced—a bully chooses victims he or she perceives as vulnerable
Bullying occurs in many different forms, with varying levels of severity. It may involve:
- Physical Bullying—poking, pushing, hitting, kicking, beating up
- Verbal Bullying—yelling, teasing, name-calling, insulting, threatening to harm
- Indirect Bullying—ignoring, excluding, spreading rumors, telling lies, getting others to hurt someone
