The Nature of Bullying

What is Bullying?
The most important aspect of bullying and the aspect that is often misunderstood by adults is the imbalance of power between the bully and the target/victim.  That is, the bully perceives he/she has more power over the target he/she has selected.  The bullying manifests in many different ways.
·Physical Violence
·Psychological and Verbal Abuse
·Taunts, Teasing, and Name Calling
·Social Ostracism
·Spreading of rumors; which may or may not be true
·Sexual Harassment

This negative behavior by the bully is self-gratifying and rewarded by lack of adult intervention.  Therefore, the bully's behavior must be addressed immediately.  Keep in mind that in some cases the target/victim may “fight” back.  One must understand that the imbalance of power is still there. Targets/victims fight back due to the lack of adult intervention and the lack of adult supervision.
The bully often defends himself with comments “He started it” or “I was just kidding”.  Remember, it is all about the bully and his/her behavior needs intervention.