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bullying is the repeated use of aggression by one or more people against another person or group bullying usually involves an imbalance in power in which the bully is bigger or stronger or holds a higher position than his or her target bullies may abuse their victims verbally physically or psychologically bullying may involve name-calling pushing or hitting or preventing an individual from joining a social group or participating in an activity it may also involve harassing embarrassing or threatening a person using cell phones text-messaging devices interactive games instant messages or websites this type of bullying is called cyberbullying bullying occurs from the preschool period through adulthood though it most often occurs during early adolescence people bully others for many reasons a person may feel jealous toward an individual want to attract attention or wish to gain a feeling of power in some cases bullies may have been bullied themselves either by a parent co-worker or classmate in most cases bullies hope to establish dominance over their peers that is people their own age many victims of bullying have similar characteristics for example shy quiet or physically small individuals or those who lack a group of friends are often targets of bullies a person s race sexuality or physical appearance may also attract bullying or teasing bullies often seek victims who seem unable to defend themselves bullied children may experience anxiety low self-esteem difficulty sleeping or bed-wetting their schoolwork may also suffer as a result of bullying these children may experience low self-esteem and depression later in life severe and continued incidents of bullying have even led to suicide schools families and communities use a number of methods to combat bullying school policies against bullying are commonplace and teachers and parents often intervene become involved in specific disputes between bullies and victims programs that emphasize self-esteem conflict resolution peer support and group cooperation can make children less likely to be bullied or to bully others parental supervision and open communication between children and trusted adults including teachers and counselors can also help address bullying see also child aggressive behavior how to cite this article to cite this article world book recommends the following format bullying world book student.world book 2010 web 25 oct 2010 © 2010 world book inc all rights reserved world book and the globe device are registered trademarks of world book inc page 1 of 1

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