* Chapter I THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTINGIntroduction Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior manifested by theuse of force or coercion to affect others, particularly when thebehavior is habitual and involves an imbalance of power. It caninclude verbal harassment, physical assault or coercion and maybe directed repeatedly towards particular victims, perhaps ongrounds of race, religion, gender, sexuality, or ability. The"imbalance of power" may be social power and/or physical power.The victim of bullying is sometimes referred to as a "target". Bullying consists of three basic types of abuse –emotional, verbal, and physical. It typically involves subtlemethods of coercion such as intimidation. Bullying can bedefined in many different ways. The UK currently has no legaldefinition of bullying, while some U.S. states have laws againstit Bullying ranges from simple one-on-one bullying to morecomplex bullying in which the bully may have one or morelieutenants who may seem to be willing to assist the primary
* 6. bully in his or her bullying activities. Bullying in school andthe workplace is also referred to as peer abuse. Robert W.Fuller has analyzed bullying in the context of rankism. Bullying can occur in any context in which human beingsinteract with each other. This includes school, church, family,the workplace, home, and neighborhoods. It is even a common pushfactor in migration. Bullying can exist between social groups,social classes, and even between countries (see jingoism). Infact, on an international scale, perceived or real imbalances ofpower between nations, in both economic systems and in treatysystems, are often cited as some of the primary causes of bothWorld War I and World War II.Foreign Literature The word "bully" was first used in the 1530s meaning"sweetheart," applied to either sex, from the Dutch boel "lover,brother," probably diminutive of Middle High German buole"brother," of uncertain origin (compare with the German buhle"lover"). The meaning...
