Bullying 101

Bullying is an act of aggression with three specific characteristics:

Unwarranted and intentional act to do harm to an individual.
Repetitive (or likely to be repeated) action involving the same or a different targeted person.
Involves an imbalance of power, where the person engaging in bullying behavior perceives her/himself to be superior to the person targeted.

All three characteristics must be present in order for an aggressive behavior to be bullying.

CDC Bullying Definitions

Types of Bullying:

Physical Bullying

Physical bullying involves hitting, shoving, pushing, tripping, and other kinds of force.

Verbal Bullying

Verbal bullying involves hurtful comments, name-calling, teasing, and making threats.

Social Bullying

Social bullying involves using relationships to hurt someone, including embarrassing someone in public, excluding someone from participation, and spreading rumors.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites.

What is Bullying Article

What is Cyberbullying Article

Involvement

Prevalence

One of every five American teens and one of every four Michigan teens are bullied.
Incidents of verbal, social and cyberbullying become more frequent as children age, while physical bullying decreases. Furthermore, girls engage in social (relational) bullying behaviors earlier than boys.

Learn More from the CDC

Age Trends in Prevalence of Bullying

Bullying peaks in middle school