Definition of Bullying
Bullying is a repeated aggressive behavior that involves a power imbalance, where one person intentionally hurts, harasses, or intimidates another person. It can be physical, verbal, or psychological in nature, and can be done in person or online. Bullying can cause significant harm to the victim, including emotional distress, low self-esteem, and even physical injuries.
There are various definitions of school bullying, but one of the first and most commonly used and accepted definitions in Europe is that of Olweus (1994, 1999) underlining intentionality, repetition and imbalance of power.
There is no commonly agreed definition of ‘bullying’ used at the EU level.3 The Council of Europe defines bullying as ‘unwanted, aggressive behaviour among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time’.[1]
School bullying is defined as intentional, repetitive, and imbalanced power behavior that involves physical, verbal, or relational harm towards another individual who is unable to defend themselves. Friendly and playful teasing, as well as conflicts between equally strong individuals, are not considered bullying. (Olweus, 2010).
According to Unicef “Bbullying is a form of aggressive behavior that occurs in an intentional and repeated manner causing another child to feel hurt. Bullying can take multiple forms, including spreading rumors, threatening, physical or verbal assault, engaging in insidious practices such as excluding a child from a group to hurt him/her, or any other gestures or actions that occur in a less visible manner.
[1] Council of Europe, ‘Bullying’, (n.d.), available at: https://www.coe.int/en/web/children/bullying#{%2212441005%22:[2]}
