About Bullying

Bullying is when a person or a group shows unwanted aggression toward another person.¹ To be considered bullying, the behavior in question must be aggressive.² 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.²

Bullying can be²:

• 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

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.³ Unlike more traditional bullying, cyberbullying can be more anonymous and can occur nearly constantly.³ 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.³
• Workplace bullying refers to adult behavior that is repeatedly aggressive and involves the use of power over another person at the workplace.⁴ 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.