Each day, more than 160,000 kids skip school because they fear being bullied. (National Education Association)
“Being bullied can have traumatic consequences for a child, leading to poor school performance, low self-esteem, anxiety, and even depression.” – David Fassler, M.D.
What is bullying?
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior towards another person or group of people that involves an observed or perceived imbalance of power. The behavior is typically repeated over time or has the potential to be repeated. Bullying may inflict harm or distress on the targeted youth including physical, psychological, social, or educational harm.
The power imbalance may involve many different things: physical strength or size, popularity, athleticism, wealth, or access to embarrassing information. There are any number of other factors that can give one or more use and advantage over others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.
Types of Bullying
There are four types of bullying:
Verbal
Verbal bullying is using verbal language to hurt or harm another person. Examples of verbal bullying include teasing, taunting, name calling and threatening to cause harm.
Social
Socially bullying is when someone hurts another person’s reputation or relationships. Spreading rumors about someone, embarrassment, and exclusion are forms of social bullying.
Physical
Physical bullying is using one’s body and physical acts to hurt another person or their belongings. This includes anything from pushing, shoving, kicking, punching, or destroying possessions.
Cyber
Cyberbullying is repeated harassment, threatening, or targeting of an individual using technology (cell phones, computers & tablets). This includes posting or sharing negative content about someone online.
