Bullying is the repeated, intentional use of power — physical, social, or psychological — to harm, intimidate, or coerce someone perceived as vulnerable. It happens in schools, workplaces, online, and anywhere else humans gather in hierarchies.
Forms include physical bullying (hitting, pushing), verbal bullying** (name-calling, threats), **relational bullying** (exclusion, rumor-spreading), and **cyberbullying** (harassment via social media, messaging apps, or online platforms). The common thread is repetition and a power imbalance that makes the target feel trapped.
Why It Matters
Bullying isn’t “just kids being kids.” It causes lasting psychological damage: depression, anxiety, PTSD, and in severe cases, self-harm or suicide. Research consistently links childhood bullying to worse mental health, lower earnings, and higher relationship problems decades later.
The internet amplified the problem. Cyberbullying can follow a victim home, spread to thousands of witnesses instantly, and persist indefinitely in screenshots and archives. At the same time, awareness campaigns, anti-bullying laws, and school programs have made it harder to dismiss than in previous generations.
Examples
- Workplace bullying: A manager who repeatedly undermines an employee in meetings.
- Cyberbullying: Coordinated harassment campaigns on Instagram, TikTok, or Discord.
- Bystander effect: When witnesses don’t intervene, bullies feel emboldened.
Related Terms
- Harassment, intimidation, abuse
- Cyberbullying, trolling, doxxing
- Bystander, upstander, resilience