Individual
Individual bullying tactics are perpetrated by a single person against one or more victims. Individual bullying can be classified into four types.
Physical bullying is any bullying that physically harms someone's body or damages their possessions. Stealing, shoving, hitting, kicking, fighting, pantsing, and intentionally destroying someone's property are examples of physical bullying. Physical bullying is rarely the first form of bullying that a victim will experience. Often, bullying will begin in a different form and later progress to physical violence. In physical bullying, the main weapon the bully uses is their body, or some part thereof; or an object as a weapon when attacking their victim. Sometimes groups of young adults will target and alienate a peer because of some adolescent prejudice. This can quickly lead to a situation where they are being taunted, tortured, and "beaten up" by their classmates. Physical bullying will often escalate over time, and can lead to a detrimental or fatal ending, and therefore many try to stop it quickly when such cases are reported or observed in order to prevent any further escalation.
Verbal bullying is one of the most common types of bullying. This is any bullying that is conducted by speaking, other use of the voice, or some form of body language, and does not involve any form of physical contact. Bullying usually begins at this stage and includes any of the following:
Derogatory name-calling and nicknaming
Spreading rumors or lying about someone
Making threats or engaging in threatening behavior toward someone
Yelling at or talking to someone in a rude or unkind tone of voice, especially without justifiable cause
Mocking someone's voice or style of speaking
Laughing at someone
Use of body language (i.e., the middle finger) to torment someone
Making insults or otherwise making fun of someone
In verbal bullying, the main weapon the bully uses is their voice. In many cases, verbal bullying is common in both genders. However, girls are more likely to perform this type of bullying compared to boys. Girls, in general, are also more subtle with insults than boys. Girls use verbal bullying, as well as social exclusion techniques, to dominate and control other individuals and show their superiority and power, often to try to impress someone they idolize. Many boys are subtle enough to use verbal techniques for dominance, and often exhibit this type of bullying when they want to avoid the trouble or possible consequences that can come with physically bullying someone else.
Relational bullying (sometimes referred to as social aggression) is the type of bullying that uses relationships to hurt others. The term also denotes any bullying that is done with the intent to hurt somebody's reputation or social standing which can also link in with the techniques included in physical and verbal bullying. Relational bullying is a form of bullying common among youth, but more particularly upon girls. Social exclusion (slighting or making someone feel "left out") is one of the most common types of relational bullying. Relational bullying can be used as a tool by bullies to both improve their social standing and in order to control others. Unlike physical bullying, which is obvious, relational bullying is not overt and can continue for a long time without being noticed.
Cyberbullying involves the use of technology (typically the internet) in order to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person. When an adult is involved, it may meet the definition of cyber-harassment or cyberstalking, a crime that can have legal consequences and possibly involve penalties such as jail time when cases are reported and the perpetrators are legally prosecuted. This includes bullying by use of email, instant messaging, social media websites (such as Facebook), text messages, and phone calls from cell phones or mobile devices. It is stated that Cyberbullying is more common in secondary school than in primary school.
The internet provides people with limited accountability and often with no filter. Bullying can feel easier and less restrictive through the use of the internet. This phenomenon is described and detailed in a principle (or effect), called "the online disinhibition effect". The use of technology for purposes of bullying can be detrimental to someone's online reputation. The information published online will often remain there indefinitely, unless it is taken down or removed by the person who published it, or by moderators of the website or web platform, or (if allowed) by other users. Future employers and other people with access to the internet will be able to see others' digital footprint and how individuals behaved or treated other people - especially if concerted efforts are allocated in order to search for and find any posts, webpages, or content that may negatively impact the target person's evaluation or eligibility for a position. Another problem with cyberbullying is the possibility that other people are able to get involved. Technology, especially the use of social media, allows others to repost or share published content, whether it is positive or negative.
Mobbing refers to the bullying of an individual by a group, in any context, such as a family, peer group, school, workplace, neighborhood, community, or online. When it occurs as emotional abuse in the workplace, such as "ganging up" by co-workers, subordinates or superiors, to force someone out of the workplace through rumor, innuendo, intimidation, humiliation, discrediting, and isolation, it is also referred to as malicious, nonsexual, nonracial/racial, general harassment.
