Not everyone’s a bully, here’s why aggression is not the same as bullying

Not all aggressive behaviours are meant to harm while bullying is a repetitive and behaviour characterised by a power imbalance between two parties, explains a new study on the relation between aggression and bullying.

Aggressive behaviour is often linked to bullying, but they are not the same thing. A new study done by the University of Buffalo found a vast difference between the two, and stressed on how spotting this is necessary for developing the right interventions. The findings show that aggressive behaviour is meant to hurt or harm, while bullying is a repetitive behaviour characterised by a power imbalance between two parties, such as a child against a group or a bigger child against a smaller child.

“It’s important to realise this distinction, in part because every aggressive behaviour we see is not bullying. Certainly aggressive behaviours are problematic and deserve our attention, but recognising the differences in the two behaviours means we can begin a discussion about whether we have to do something different with interventions related to general aggression,” said Jamie Ostrov, lead author and professor psychologist at the University at Buffalo.

Bullying can be physical, involving hitting, kicking, pinching or taking things away from someone. There is also relational bullying or social exclusion, where children might say, “You can’t be my friend anymore” or “You can’t come to my birthday party”. “Victimisation is receiving, aggression is displaying, and bullying adds the power imbalance and repetition,” Ostrov explained.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more