Bullying is defined in various ways by different authors, but most definitions include common language. I have found that widely accepted definitions have two similarities:
- The behavior is negative/unwelcome
- The behavior occurs repeatedly
Below are two of the most widely accepted definitions of bullying:
- "A student is being bullied or victimized when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one of more other students" (Olweus, 1993).
- "Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance" (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2017).
It is also important to include cyber-bullying, which is a growing problem in today's society. Definitions of cyber-bullying are generally consistent with definitions of bullying, as you can see below:
- Cyber-bulling is “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices” (Hinduja and Patchin, 2015).