Types of behaviours
The following features are offered as a starting point for school community discussion.
Bullying and harassment
Bullying and harassment are often thought of separately; however both involve a more powerful person or group oppressing a less powerful person or group, often on the grounds of 'difference'.
These differences can be related to culture, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, ability or disability, religion, body size and physical appearance, age, marital status, parenting status or economic status.
Bullying and harassment
- may be physical (hitting, kicking, pinching), verbal (name-calling, teasing), psychological (standover tactics, gestures), social (social exclusion, rumours, putdowns) or sexual (physical, verbal or nonverbal sexual conduct)
- may be motivated by jealousy, distrust, fear, misunderstanding or lack of knowledge
- have an element of threat
- can continue over time
- are often hidden from adults
- will be sustained if adults or peers do not take action.
Discrimination
Discrimination is treating one person or group less fairly or less well than others. Discrimination may be direct or indirect and based on factors such as ability, culture, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, physical appearance, age, religion, marital status, parenting status or economic status.
Individuals or groups can discriminate. So can an organisation's policies and practices.
Violence
Violence is the damaging and destructive use of force. Violence is often used to assert power over individuals.
Violence:
- is not just physical – it takes many forms
- affects the safety, rights and freedom of others
- may be a one-off incident between individuals or groups
- can involve an ongoing relationship between parties
- may involve provoked or unprovoked acts
- may be used by those victimised by bullying to redress the imbalance of power.
What is the difference between conflict and bullying?
Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy
© 2008.
For copyright information about this website, and circumstances
in which
reproductions of this website are permitted, please visit our
Copyright Notice.