Bullying is a complex issue that’s every parents’ and kid’s worst nightmare come vividly true. A few years ago, we wrote an article about the different types of bullying based along gender lines as bullying expert Robert Pereira was in Beijing giving seminars at the time. Pereira is an education expert who has spent the last 21 years as a professional consultant training students, teachers, and parents around the world to deal with bullying.
Technology has compounded the issue with the introduction of cyberbully, that’s harder to stop and sometime even trace back because of fake accounts. As the new school seasons swings into high gear and kids are adjusting to their new class, classmates, or school, here are four common types of bullying to keep an eye out for:
Verbal Bullying
What It Is: Verbal bullying, or bullying with cruel spoken words, involves ongoing name-calling, threatening, and making disrespectful comments about someone’s attributes (appearance, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, etc.).
Physical Bullying
What It Is: Physical bullying, or bullying with aggressive physical intimidation, involves repeated hitting, kicking, tripping, blocking, pushing, and touching in unwanted and inappropriate ways.
Relational Bullying
What It Is: Relational bullying, or bullying with exclusionary tactics, involves deliberately preventing someone from joining or being part of a group, whether it’s at a lunch table, game, sport, or social activity.
Cyberbullying
What It Is: Cyberbullying, or bullying in cyberspace, involves haranguing someone by spreading mean words, lies, and false rumors through e-mails, text messages, and social media posts. Sexist, racist, and homophobic messages create a hostile atmosphere, even when not directly targeting your child.
These were sourced from the parenting.com article that illustrates examples, signs to look out for, and what measures to take into consideration to help the child.
Photo: Thomas Ricker (Flickr)
