Definition

Bullying is an act of repeated

aggressive behavior in order to
intentionally hurt another person,
physically or mentally. Bullying is
characterized by an individual
behaving in a certain way to gain
power over another person (Besag,
1989). Behaviors may include name
calling, verbal or written abuse,
exclusion from activities, exclusion
from social situations, physical abuse,
or coercion (Carey, 2003; Whitted &
Dupper, 2005). Bullies may behave
this way to be perceived as popular or
tough or to get attention. They may
bully out of jealousy or be acting out
because they themselves are bullied
(Crothers & Levinson, 2004).
USA National Center for Education
Statistics suggests that bullying can
be broken into two categories: Direct
bullying, and indirect bullying which is
also known as social aggression.
Ross states that direct bullying
involves a great deal of physical
aggression such as shoving and poking,
throwing things, slapping, choking,
punching and kicking, beating,
stabbing, pulling hair, scratching,
biting, scraping and pinching.
He also suggests that social
aggression or indirect bullying is
characterized by threatening the
victim into social isolation. This
isolation is achieved through a wide
variety of techniques, including
spreading gossip, refusing to socialize
with the victim, bullying other people
who wish to socialize with the victim,
and criticizing the victim's manner of
dress and other socially-significant
markers (including the victim's race,
religion, disability, etc). Ross (1998)
outlines other forms of indirect
bullying which are more subtle and
more likely to be verbal, such as name
calling, the silent treatment, arguing
others into submission, manipulation,
gossip/ false gossip, lies, rumors/
false rumors, staring, giggling,
laughing at the victim, saying certain
words that trigger a reaction from a
past event, and mocking. Children's
charity Act Against Bullying was set
up in 2003 to help children who were
victims of this type of bullying by
researching and publishing coping
skills.
Bullying is the act of intentionally
causing harm to others, through
verbal harassment, physical assault, or
other more subtle methods of
coercion such as manipulation. Bullying
can be defined in many different
ways. Although the UK currently has
no legal definition of bullying, some
US states have laws against it.
Bullying is usually done to coerce
others by fear or threat.
Bullying in school and the workplace is
also referred to as peer abuse.
In colloquial speech, bullying often
describes a form of harassment
perpetrated by an abuser who
possesses more physical and/or social
power and dominance than the victim.
The victim of bullying is sometimes
referred to as a target. The
harassment can be verbal, physical
and/or emotional. Sometimes bullies
will pick on people bigger or smaller
than their size. Bullies hurt people
verbally and physically because they
themselves have been the victim of
bullying, (e.g. a bullying child who is
abused at home, or bullying adults who
are abused by their colleagues).
Many programs have been started to
prevent bullying at schools with
promotional speakers. Bullying
consists of two types - verbal and
physical.
Norwegian researcher Dan Olweus
defines bullying as when a person is
"exposed, repeatedly and over time,
to negative actions on the part of one
or more other persons." He defines
negative action as "when a person
intentionally inflicts injury or
discomfort upon another person,
through physical contact, through
words or in other ways."
Bullying can occur in any setting where human
beings interact with each other. This includes
school, religious community, the workplace, home
and neighborhoods. It is even a common push
factor in migration. Bullying can exist between
social groups, social classes and even between
countries.
Effects
The effects of bullying can be serious
and even fatal. Mona O’Moore Ph. D of
the Anti-Bullying Centre, Trinity
College Dublin, said, "There is a
growing body of research which
indicates that individuals, whether
child or adult who are persistently
subjected to abusive behavior are at
risk of stress related illness which
can sometimes lead to suicide".
Victims of bullying can suffer from
long term emotional and behavioral
problems. Bullying can cause
loneliness, depression, anxiety, lead to
low self-esteem and increased
susceptibility to illness.
The National Conference of State
Legislatures said:
"In 2002, a report released by the
U.S. Secret Service concluded
that bullying played a significant
role in many school shootings and
that efforts should be made to
eliminate bullying behavior."
Characteristics of bullies
Research indicates that adults who
bully have personalities that are
authoritarian, combined with a strong
need to control or dominate. It has
also been suggested that a deficit in
social skills and a prejudicial view of
subordinates can be particular risk
factors.
Further studies have shown that while
envy and resentment may be motives
for bullying, there is little evidence to
suggest that bullies suffer from any
deficit in self esteem (as this would
make it difficult to bully). However,
bullying can also be used as a tool to
conceal and boost self esteem: by
demeaning others, the abuser himself
feels empowered.
Researchers have identified other
risk factors such as quickness to
anger and use of force, addiction to
aggressive behaviors, mistaking
others' actions as hostile, concern
with preserving self image, and
engaging in obsessive or rigid actions.
Bullying may also be "tradition" in
settings where an age group or higher
rank feels superior than
lowerclassmen, such as in the Russian
Army where conscripts in their
second year of service typically bully
and control first year conscripts.
It is often suggested that bullying
behavior has its origin in childhood:
"If aggressive behavior is not
challenged in childhood, there is a
danger that it may become
habitual. Indeed, there is research
evidence, to indicate that bullying
during childhood puts children at
risk of criminal behavior and
domestic violence in adulthood."
Bullying does not necessarily involve
criminality or physical violence. For
example, bullying often operates
through psychological abuse or verbal
abuse.
Bullying can often be associated with
street gangs, especially at school.

History of bullying
High-level forms of violence such as
assault and murder usually receive
most media attention, but lower-level
forms of violence such as bullying, has
only in recent years started to be
addressed by researchers, educators,
parents and legislators (Whitted &
Dupper, 2005).
It is only in recent years that bullying
has been recognised and recorded as
a separate and distinct offence, but
there have been well documented
cases the were recorded in a
different context. The Fifth Volume
of the Newgate Calendar contains at
least one example where Eton
Scholars George Alexander Wood and
Alexander Wellesley Leith were
charged, at Aylesbury Assizes, with
killing and slaying the Hon. F. Ashley
Cooper on February 28, 1825 in an
incident that would now, surely be
described as "lethal hazing". The
Newgate calendar contains several
other examples that, while not as
distinct, could be considered
indicative of situations of bullying.

Types of bullying
School bullying
Main article: School bullying
In schools, bullying usually occurs in
all areas of school. It can occur in
nearly any part in or around the school
building, though it more often occurs
in PE, recess, hallways, bathrooms, on
school buses and waiting for buses,
classes that require group work
and/or after school activities. Bullying
in school sometimes consists of a
group of students taking advantage
of, or isolating one student in
particular and gaining the loyalty of
bystanders who want to avoid
becoming the next victim. These
bullies will taunt and tease their
target before physically bullying the
target. Targets of bullying in school
are often pupils who are considered
strange or different by their peers to
begin with, making the situation
harder for them to deal with. Some
children bully because they have been
isolated, and they have a deep need
for belonging, but they do not possess
the social skills to effectively keep
friends . "When you're miserable, you
need something more miserable than
yourself." This may explain the
negative actions towards others that
bullies exhibit. However, just like with
adults, there are also those who
simply enjoy hurting other people.
Bullying can also be perpetrated by
teachers and the school system itself:
there is an inherent power
differential in the system that can
easily predispose to subtle or covert
abuse, humiliation, or exclusion - even
while maintaining overt commitments
to anti-bullying policies.
School shootings receive an enormous
amount of media attention. The
children who perpetrate these
shootings sometimes claim that they
were victims of bullying and that they
resorted to violence only after the
school administration repeatedly
failed to intervene. In many of these
cases, the victims of the shooters
sued both the shooters' families and
the schools.
Some suggest these rare but horrific
events have led schools to try harder
to discourage bullying, with programs
designed to teach students
cooperation, as well as training peer
moderators in intervention and
dispute resolution techniques, as a
form of peer support.
American victims and their families
have legal recourse, such as suing a
school or teacher for failure to
adequately supervise, racial or gender
discrimination, or other civil rights
violations. Special education students
who are victimized may sue a school or
school board under the ADA or
Section 504.
Workplace bullying
Main article: Workplace bullying
According to the Workplace Bullying
and Trauma Institute workplace
bullying is "repeated, health-harming
mistreatment, verbal abuse, or
conduct which is threatening,
humiliating, intimidating, or sabotage
that interferes with work or some
combination of the three.". Statistics
show that bullying is 3 times as
prevalent as illegal discrimination and
at least 1,600 times as prevalent as
workplace violence. Statistics also
show that while only one employee in
every 10,000 becomes a victim of
workplace violence, one in six
experiences bullying at work. Bullying
is a little more common than sexual
harassment but not verbal abuse
which occurs more than bullying.
Unlike the more physical form of
schoolyard bullying, workplace bullying
often takes place within the
established rules and policies of the
organization and society. Such actions
are not necessarily illegal and may not
even be against the firm's
regulations; however, the damage to
the targeted employee and to
workplace morale is obvious.
Particularly when perpetrated by a
group, workplace bullying is sometimes
known as mobbing.
Cyberbullying
Main article: Cyberbullying
According to Canadian educator Bill
Belsey, it:
...involves the use of information and
communication technologies such as e-
mail, cell phone and pager text
messages, instant messaging,
defamatory personal Web sites, blogs,
online games and defamatory online
personal polling Web sites, to support
deliberate, repeated, and hostile
behaviour by an individual or group,
that is intended to harm others.
—Cyberbullying: An Emerging Threat
to the Always On Generation
Bullies will even create blogs to
intimidate victims worldwide.
Political bullying
Main article: Jingoism
Jingoism occurs when one country
imposes its will on another. This is
normally done with military force or
threats. With threats, it is common to
ensure that aid and grants will not be
given to the smaller country or that
the smaller country will not be allowed
to join a trading organization. Often
political corruptions, coup d'états, and
plutocracies are the solution and
response to the countries being
bullied.
Military bullying
In 2000, the UK Ministry of Defence
(MOD) defined bullying as: “...the use
of physical strength or the abuse of
authority to intimidate or victimize
others, or to give unlawful
punishments.” A review of a number of
deaths by suicide at Princess Royal
Barracks, Deepcut by Nicholas Blake
QC indicated that whilst a culture of
bullying existed during the mid to late
1990s many of the issues were being
addressed as a result of the Defence
Training Review.
Some argue that this behaviour should
be allowed because of a general
academic consensus that "soldiering"
is different from other occupations.
Soldiers expected to risk their lives
should, according to them, develop
strength of body and spirit to accept
bullying.
In some countries, ritual hazing among
recruits has been tolerated and even
lauded as a rite of passage that builds
character and toughness; while in
others, systematic bullying of lower-
ranking, young or physically slight
recruits may in fact be encouraged by
military policy, either tacitly or
overtly (see dedovschina). Also, the
Russian army usually have older/more
experienced candidates abusing -
kicking or punching - less experienced
soldiers.
Hazing
Main articles: Hazing and Ragging
Hazing is an often ritualistic test
which may constitute harassment,
abuse or humiliation with
requirements to perform meaningless
tasks; sometimes as a way of initiation
into a social group. The term can
refer to either physical (sometimes
violent) or mental (possibly degrading)
practices. It is a subjective matter
where to draw to line between
'normal' hazing (somewhat abusive)
and a mere rite of passage (essentially
bonding; proponents may argue they
can coincide), and there is a gray area
where exactly the other side passes
over into sheer degrading, even
harmful abuse that should not even be
tolerated if accepted voluntarily
(serious but avoidable accidents do
still happen; even deliberate abuse
with similar grave medical
consequences occurs, in some
traditions even rather often).
Furthermore, as it must be a ritual
initiation, a different social context
may mean a same treatment is
technically hazing for some, not for
others, e.g. a line-crossing ceremony
when passing the equator at sea is
hazing for the sailor while the
extended (generally voluntary, more
playful) application to passengers is
not.
Hazing has been reported in a variety
of social contexts, including:
• Sports teams
• Academic fraternities and
sororities (see fraternities and
sororities)These practices are not
limited to American schools.
Swedish students undergo a similar
bonding period, known as
nollningen, in which all members of
the entering class participate.
• College and universities in general.
• Associated groups, like fan clubs,
school bands
• Secret societies and even certain
service clubs, or rather their local
sections (such as some modern US
Freemasons; not traditional
masonic lodges)
• Similarly various other competitive
sports teams or clubs, even 'soft'
and non-competitive ones (such as
arts)
• The armed forces — e.g., in the
U.S., hard hazing practices from
World War I boot camps were
introduced into colleges. In Poland
army hazing is called Polish fala
"wave" adopted pre-World War I
from non-Polish armies. In the
Russian army (formerly the Red
 Army) hazing is called
"Dedovshchina".
• Police forces (often with a
paramilitary tradition)
• Rescue services, such as lifeguards
(also drilled for operations in
military style)
• In workplaces
• Inmate hazing is also common at
confinement facilities around the
world, including frequent reports
of beatings and sexual assaults by
fellow inmates.
Hazing is considered a felony in
several US states, and anti-hazing
legislation has been proposed in other
states.