Bullying is the use of force, threat, or
coercion to
abuse,
intimidate, or aggressively others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception, by the bully or by others, of an imbalance of
social or physical power, which distinguishes bullying from conflict. Behaviors used to assert such domination can include verbal
harassment or
threat, physical
assault or coercion, and such acts may be directed repeatedly towards particular targets.
Rationalizations for such behavior sometimes include differences of social class, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, appearance, behavior, body language, personality, reputation, lineage, strength, size or ability. If bullying is done by a group, it is called
mobbing.