It seems today the media, and often educators, label any type of aggression or disagreement between people as bullying. Bullying tends to be more about arrogance, control, and power. It’s the feeling that I’m better than you and I have a right to treat you this way. All bullying is mean, but not all mean behavior is bullying. So if bullying is not the same as pure peer aggression or conflict, what is it?
Bullying is
- Deliberate with the intent to hurt someone
- Involves an imbalance of power with selected targets
- Repeated and targeted behavior
Bullying is NOT…
- Single episodes of social rejection or dislike
- Single episodes acts of nastiness or spite
- Random acts of aggression or intimidation
- Mutual arguments, disagreements or fights