Updated on 9/14/2022

Everyone knows what bullying is, but many people don’t consider that there are differenttypesof bullying. Bullying takes many forms. We commonly think about its impact on children, but adult bullying is just as prevalent. From physical and verbal bullying to social and cyberbullying, a bully’s unwanted, aggressive, abusive behavior can sometimes be glaringly obvious to spot or it might be more subtle.At the most basic level, all types of bullying intentionally and repeatedly cause discomfort or harm to another individual. People who are bullied are generally unable to defend themselves and typically aren’t in a position of power, according to theAmerican Psychological Association(APA).In order to prevent or stop it, we must be aware of the signs and types ofbullyingout there. All forms of bullying can inflict harm. Bullying can damage someone’s social reputation, peer and interpersonal relationships,self-esteemand cause several other mental health conditions.

Everyone knows what bullying is, but many people don’t consider that there are differenttypesof bullying. Bullying takes many forms. We commonly think about its impact on children, but adult bullying is just as prevalent. From physical and verbal bullying to social and cyberbullying, a bully’s unwanted, aggressive, abusive behavior can sometimes be glaringly obvious to spot or it might be more subtle.

At the most basic level, all types of bullying intentionally and repeatedly cause discomfort or harm to another individual. People who are bullied are generally unable to defend themselves and typically aren’t in a position of power, according to theAmerican Psychological Association(APA).

In order to prevent or stop it, we must be aware of the signs and types ofbullyingout there. All forms of bullying can inflict harm. Bullying can damage someone’s social reputation, peer and interpersonal relationships,self-esteemand cause several other mental health conditions.

1. Physical Bullying

Researchshows that boys are more likely to be involved in physical bullying than girls.

Effects of physical bullying

Physical bullying can cause both short- and long-term physical harm. It can also result in psychological effects like low self-esteem, anxiety, anddepression.

2. Verbal Bullying

Instudies, we’ve found that using insults, a part of verbal bullying, is the most common type of bullying that 7 to 10-year-old boys face.

Effects of verbal bullying

Verbal bullying behavior may start off harmlessly or in a joking context, but it can escalate quickly and cause emotional distress. Because it often happens when an adult or authority figure isn’t present, verbal bullying can be incredibly harmful and cause anxiety.

Talkspace therapist Minkyung Chung, MS, LMHC

3. Social Bullying

It can sometimes be harder to recognize social bullying, as it involves harming someone’s reputation or relationships. Also referred to as relational aggression or relational bullying, this type of bullying behavior might involve leaving someone out on purpose, telling people not to be friends with another person, spreading rumors, and/or intentionally embarrassing someone in public.

Most people associate this type of bullying with the “mean girl” or “queen bee” in social circles. Interestingly, despite both terms being overtly gender-specific, research shows that whilegirls tend to be the victimsof this type of bullying,bothgirls and boys equally can be the perpetrators.

Effects of social bullying

Social bullying can lead to depression, isolation from others, extreme loneliness, andsocial anxiety.

4. Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying can be overt or covert, as it entails bullying behaviors through digital technologies like computers and smartphones. Because of the nature of technology, cyberbullying can happen at any time, day or night, leaving little room for escape for the victim being harassed.

Cyberbullying can include:

While in-person, more traditional bullying is still more common, cyber bullying is becoming more and more prevalent. For one thing, cyberbullies are less likely to be caught since it’s easy for them to hide their identity. According toresearch, an estimated 37% of adolescents aged 13 – 17 years old have been cyber bullied at some point.

Effects of cyberbullying

Cyberbullying can be particularly harmful because there’s no relief from it. It doesn’t cease when the person leaves school or wherever their bully is. It can cause anxiety, depression, social isolation, and self-esteem issues.

“Cyberbullying is something that’s become more and more commonplace as it’s an easy medium to use to continue the ‘in-person’ bullying that occurs. Using social media and other messenger apps makes it incredibly easy to continue to harass an individual. This leaves the individual feeling like they cannot escape from the situation. Speaking out about the bullying to someone or seeking therapy will help in working through the bullying and its lasting effects.”

5. Prejudicial Bullying

Prejudicial bullying targets someone’s ethnicity, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Generally, it involves a systematic belief that a marginalized population is lesser than others.

Effects of prejudicial bullying

When people are bullied based on their minority group, the effects can include depression, anxiety, feelings of worthlessness, and a tendency to isolate.

“Prejudicial bullying is bullying based on a person’s race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc. There’s a touch of racism there, so microaggressions and macroaggressions occur. The bully targets the stereotype and continues to perpetuate it through harmful means.”

6. Sexual Bullying

Sexual bullying is exactly what it sounds like. It can be done through cyberbullying or face-to-face direct bullying. Both involve using sexual name-calling, spreading rumors of a sexual nature, making inappropriate jokes, sharing intimate photos or videos, or even physically touching, grabbing, or groping someone without permission.

Sexual bullying might be one of the most common types of bullying. Recentstudiesfound that  81% of women have experienced some form of sexual bullying, harassment, or assault at some point in their life. Perhaps surprisingly, the prevalence of men being sexually bullied is relatively high. The same study showed that 43% of men had also experienced some form of sexual bullying.

Effects of sexual bullying

Sexual bullying can lead to severe depression and social anxiety and cause someone to havetrust issuesin the future.

Preventing Bullying Behaviors

There are many different types of bullying to be aware of. Regardless of which type you’re experiencing or witnessing, it’s important that we all work together to learn how to prevent bullying.

The physical and emotionaleffectsof bullying can include:

“When bullying occurs, there are ways to help with those situations. Always speak out to an authority figure to let them know what’s going on. When possible, stay within your support system group to minimize in-person bullying. Take screenshots of any online bullying that occurs and report it to the affiliated service. Finally, work with a therapist to learn the coping strategies and boundaries needed to deal with the bullying situation.”

It doesn’t matter which of the types of bullying you’re dealing with. If you’re a victim or a witness, bullying is never OK. If you need help, ask. If you see something, say something. When we stand together, we can prevent bullying.

Turn to Talkspace foronline therapyif you need extra support when dealing with bullying, whether it is affecting you or a loved one. The effects of bullying can be long-lasting making it incredibly important to seek out support.

Sources:1. Bullying. https://www.apa.org.https://www.apa.org/topics/bullying/. Published 2022. Accessed July 19, 2022.2. Lansford J, Skinner A, Sorbring E et al. Boys’ and Girls’ Relational and Physical Aggression in Nine Countries. Aggress Behav. 2012;38(4):298-308. doi:10.1002/ab.21433.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ab.21433. Accessed July 19, 2022.3. Iossi Silva M, Pereira B, Mendonça D, Nunes B, Oliveira W. The Involvement of Girls and Boys with Bullying: An Analysis of Gender Differences. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013;10(12):6820-6831. doi:10.3390/ijerph10126820,https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/10/12/6820. Accessed July 19, 2022.4. Patchin J. Cyberbullying Data 2019 – Cyberbullying Research Center. Cyberbullying Research Center.https://cyberbullying.org/2019-cyberbullying-data. Published 2019. Accessed July 19, 2022.5. Menesini E, Salmivalli C. Bullying in schools: the state of knowledge and effective interventions. Psychology, Health & Medicine. 2017;22(sup1):240-253. doi:10.1080/13548506.2017.1279740.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13548506.2017.1279740. Accessed July 19, 2022.6. National Studies | Stop Street Harassment. Stop Street Harassment.https://stopstreetharassment.org/our-work/nationalstudy/. Published 2019. Accessed July 19, 2022.7. Rivara, F., Menestrel, S., Prevention, C., Board on Children, a., Justice, C., Education, D., Division, H. and National Academies of Sciences, a., 2022. Consequences of Bullying Behavior.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK390414/. Accessed 14 September 2022.

Sources:

  1. Bullying. https://www.apa.org.https://www.apa.org/topics/bullying/. Published 2022. Accessed July 19, 2022.

  2. Lansford J, Skinner A, Sorbring E et al. Boys’ and Girls’ Relational and Physical Aggression in Nine Countries. Aggress Behav. 2012;38(4):298-308. doi:10.1002/ab.21433.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ab.21433. Accessed July 19, 2022.

  3. Iossi Silva M, Pereira B, Mendonça D, Nunes B, Oliveira W. The Involvement of Girls and Boys with Bullying: An Analysis of Gender Differences. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013;10(12):6820-6831. doi:10.3390/ijerph10126820,https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/10/12/6820. Accessed July 19, 2022.

  4. Patchin J. Cyberbullying Data 2019 – Cyberbullying Research Center. Cyberbullying Research Center.https://cyberbullying.org/2019-cyberbullying-data. Published 2019. Accessed July 19, 2022.

  5. Menesini E, Salmivalli C. Bullying in schools: the state of knowledge and effective interventions. Psychology, Health & Medicine. 2017;22(sup1):240-253. doi:10.1080/13548506.2017.1279740.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13548506.2017.1279740. Accessed July 19, 2022.

  6. National Studies | Stop Street Harassment. Stop Street Harassment.https://stopstreetharassment.org/our-work/nationalstudy/. Published 2019. Accessed July 19, 2022.

  7. Rivara, F., Menestrel, S., Prevention, C., Board on Children, a., Justice, C., Education, D., Division, H. and National Academies of Sciences, a., 2022. Consequences of Bullying Behavior.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK390414/. Accessed 14 September 2022.

Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.

Articles contain trusted third-party sources that are either directly linked to in the text or listed at the bottom to take readers directly to the source.

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