Bullying

Bullying belongs to the broad family of concepts relating to negative behavior, including abuse, cruelty, discrimination, disrespect, exclusion, harassment, hostility, humiliation, intimidation, psychological terror, threats, and violence. Bullying takes place in a wide variety of contexts, including schools, workplace, and cyberspace. Recent research moves away from an individualized approach to bullying toward an understanding of bullying in terms of social dynamics. While ethical debates can contribute to changing social policies and legislation, as in earlier movements against slavery, racial and sexual discrimination, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to addressing bullying. Institutions need to develop multi-perspectival and flexible intervention strategies, but maintain a focus on certain analytical questions regarding the production of dignity and contempt.