It is the use of force, coercion, or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. This behavior is often repeated and is habitual. It is the use of physical or social power. It aims at hurting another individual, physically, mentally, or emotionally. It can be done individually or in groups. This may take place in schools, colleges, workplace, home and neighborhoods. Bullying behaviors include physical assault or coercion, verbal harassment, or threat. It arises as a result of differences of social class, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, appearance, behavior, body language, personality, reputation, lineage, strength, size, or ability. It is divided into four basic types of abuse:

• Psychological
• Verbal
• Physical
• Cyber

TYPES                                                    

• Individual
• Physical
• Verbal
• Relational
• Cyber bullying
• Collective
• Mobbing
• Reactive

WHAT MAKES A BULLY

It is the result of a person’s need to get and keep control over someone else. Bullies are focused on themselves. They are often insecure and bully others to make themselves feel better and might not care about people, or lack empathy. Some bullies don’t understand normal social emotions like guilt, empathy, compassion, or remorse. Both boys and girls can be bullies. Bullies may be: outgoing and aggressive, quiet and sneaky, friendly and fake.

CAUSES AND RISK FACTORS OF BULLYING

Risk factors for being the victim of bullying include having low understanding of emotional or social interactions, a tendency to become upset easily, or already suffering from anxiety or depression, actual obesity, being underweight. Homosexual youths are more often victims of bullying rather than heterosexual youth.

SYMPTOMS AND WARNING SIGNS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE BULLIED

• Missing belongings
• Unexplained injuries
• Limited number of friends
• Stress
• Headaches
• Stomachaches
• Changes in appetite
• Bedwetting
• Dizziness
• General aches and pains
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Sadness
• Trouble sleeping
• Frequent nightmares
• Tiredness in the mornings
• Loneliness
• Helplessness
• Feeling isolated
• Avoiding social situations
• Getting to school or work late
• Taking off more days
• Skipping school without telling parents
• Trying to retaliate against their tormentors
• Grades may decline
• Hurting themselves
• Attempting suicide

CYBERBULLYING

Cyber bullying can occur anywhere, via smartphones, emails, texts, and social media, 24 hours a day. Cyber bullies use digital technology to harass, threaten, or humiliate people. The methods kids and teens use to cyber bully can be as varied and imaginative as the technology they have access to. Cyber bullies come in all shapes and sizes.

HOW TO DEAL WITH A BULLY

• Tell an adult
• Ignore the bully and walk away
• Walk tall and hold your head high
• Don’t get physical
• Try to talk to the bully
• Practice confidence
• Talk about it
• Join your school’s bullying or violence prevention programs
• Find your true friends
• Stand up for friends and others you see being bullied
• Try to view bullying from a different perspective
• Don’t blame yourself
• Don’t beat yourself up
• Spend time doing things you enjoy
• Learn to manage stress
• Unplug from technology
• Find others who share your same values and interests

HOW TO DEAL WITH CYBERBULLYING

• Don’t respond to any messages or posts
• Prevent communication from the cyber bully
• Save the evidence of the cyber bullying
• Don’t seek revenge
• Report threats of harm

IF YOU ARE A BULLY

• Try talking to a trusted adult about why you have become a bully and take advice from them
• Try thinking of how the person being bullied feels

Bullying is not a single episode of social rejection or dislike, acts of nastiness or spite, random acts of aggression or intimidation, mutual arguments, disagreements or fights.