Health and Fitness : What is Bullying?

What is bullying?

Bullying is when a person or a group shows unwanted aggression to another person who is not a sibling or a current dating partner. Cyberbullying (or “electronic aggression”) is bullying that is done electronically, including through the Internet, e-mail, or mobile devices, among others.

Bullying can be:
-Physical: punching, beating, kicking, or pushing; stealing, hiding, or damaging another person’s belongings; forcing someone to do things against his or her will
-Verbal: teasing, calling names, or insulting another person; threatening another person with physical harm; spreading rumors or untrue statements about another person
-Relational: refusing to talk to someone or making them feel left out; encouraging other individuals to bully someone

To be considered bullying, the behavior in question must be aggressive. The behavior must also involve an imbalance of power (e.g., physical strength, popularity, access to embarrassing details about a person) and be repetitive, meaning that it happens more than once or is highly likely to be repeated.

Bullying also includes cyberbullying and workplace bullying.
-Cyberbullying has increased with the increased use of the social media sites, the Internet, e-mail, and mobile devices. Unlike more traditional bullying, cyberbullying can be more anonymous and can occur nearly constantly. A person can be cyberbullied day or night, such as when they are checking their e mail, using Facebook or another social network site, or even when they are using a mobile phone.
-Workplace bullying refers to adult behavior that is repeatedly aggressive and involves the use of power over another person at the workplace. Certain laws apply to adults in the workplace to help prevent such violence. Read more from CDC about occupational violence and laws to prevent it.

A National Institutes of Health (NIH) message from Virginia Gay Hospital and Clinics.

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