What Is Bullying, Anyway?

Different people have different definitions of bullying, but four characteristics qualify a situation as bullying: the behavior has to be intentional, be repetitive, be hurtful, and involve an imbalance of power.

• Intentional—Children can hurt other children by accident. Bullying, however, is always intentional and meant to cause some sort of harm, whether it is physical or verbal. This behavior may persist even after the victim has asked the bully to stop.
• Repetitive—In most cases, bullying happens repeatedly. Bullies often target children who they know will not do anything about the behavior, so they can continue bullying as long as they like.
• Hurtful—Bullying is a negative behavior that may include physical or verbal harm. The types of hurtful behavior that qualify as bullying are varied, but they all cause harm of some sort to the victim.
• Imbalance of power—If two children hold an equal amount of power, one cannot bully the other. This imbalance of power can come from different sources, including age, size, strength, and social status.

• For more details on bullying, see All about Bullying.

Even if you can’t remember the exact definition of bullying, you’ll probably recognize it when you see it. And when you know that bullying is taking place, it’s time to take action.