What is Bullying?

It is important for you to understand what bullying is.  If you know the definition of bullying and understand various examples of bullying, it will be easier to figure out if you are being bullied. 

Bullying is often defined as repeated negative and unwanted actions toward a victim over time by a person who intends to cause them mental or physical harm.  In most cases, there is an imbalance of power between the bully and the victim.  This means that the bully seems to have some sort of power over the victim and the victim feels that they cannot stop the bullying.  Bullying might happen across several hours, days, or even across years. 

Unfortunately, bullying does not always end after you leave high school.  Bullying can happen almost anywhere—in the work environment, college, at home, in the community, and in cyberspace (the internet and cell phones).

If you think that you are being bullied, the first thing you need to do is talk to an adult who you trust.  Do not try to handle this situation alone!  This person should help you decide whether or not you are being bullied. They can help you decide what to do next. 

There are many different types of bullying. Bullying comes in many forms. Certain types of bullying are less obvious than other types. Sometimes, it can be hard to figure out if you are being bullied. Review these different types of bullying and examples of each type.  As you review these, keep in mind that bullying usually involves repeated actions against the victim. 

Types of Bullying:

Physical aggression	Verbal aggression	Non-verbal aggression
Hitting Kicking Tripping Slapping Pushing	Cursing at the victim Making verbal threats	Staring Making a fist Standing near or over the victim in a threatening way Obscene gestures (e.g., middle finger, or sexually suggestive gestures)
Cyber-bullying (through phone, email, text, online social networking, instant messaging)	Teasing or Aggravating	Isolation or Exclusion
Making threats Teasing Showing the victim obscene or explicit images Spreading rumors or gossip about the victim Sending embarrassing pictures of the victim to others Sharing private information about the victim with others	Name-calling Laughing at the victim Making noises to aggravate the victim Mimicking the way a person talks	Ignoring the victim in a way that is hurtful to the victim Not including the victim in important work-related activities Not including the victim in any social events in a way that is hurtful to the victim Avoiding the victim in a way that is hurtful to the victim
Manipulation	Property Destruction	Sabotage
Tricking the victim into doing things (embarrassing, inappropriate, or incorrect things) that they would not want to do if they fully understood the bully’s true intent Tricking or forcing the victim into doing someone else’s job duties	Throwing the victims items on the floor Taking personal property away the victim Damaging the victim’s property Deleting or destroying the victim’s completed work Hiding personal property of the victim	Giving the victim an impossible amount of work to complete with the intent of watching them fail Giving the victim work that is too challenging with the intent of watching them fail Taking credit for work that was actually completed by the victim Removing necessary materials or information from the victim so they cannot do their work  Blaming the victim for a work mistake or problem that was not really their fault

If you are bullied by someone who you work with, you might experience a combination of different types of bullying.  For example, a co-worker might bully you in two ways: 

1. Teasing and aggravating you by repeatedly making noises just to bother you
2. Isolation by repeatedly not including you in work meetings that you need to attend

Unfortunately, many forms of workplace bullying are not considered illegal, even though they are considered wrong.  However, some types of bullying are illegal and can be criminally prosecuted.  For example, if someone physically hits or shoves you, that might be physical assault – which is a crime.

Bullying is often defined as repeated negative and unwanted actions toward a victim over time.  Bullying can happen anywhere—in work, school, cyberspace, neighborhoods, and within personal relationships.  Bullying comes in many forms: Physical aggression Verbal aggression Non-verbal aggression Cyber-bullying Teasing and aggravating Isolation and exclusion Manipulation Sabotage Property destruction

Don’t be the bully or the harasser!

It is also important for you to make sure that you are not intentionally or unintentionally bullying or harassing someone else at work.  Some people with autism and other disabilities have trouble reading and displaying certain social cues.  This might cause them to do or say things that other people could interpret as bullying or harassment. Read more information.