Bullying may involve direct physical actions such as hitting or shoving, verbal assaults such as teasing or name-calling, or it may involve more indirect actions such as socially isolating a person or manipulating friendships. A bully wants to put his or her victim in distress in some way.
Bullies seek power.
Many children and teens are bullied by their peers. The consequences of bullying can be terrible, even deadly. People who are bullied may become depressed, have low self-esteem, lose interest in schoolwork or try to avoid attending school. More and more, victims of bullying are reacting violently to their situations by attacking their tormentors, committing terrible acts of violence in schools or harming themselves. On the other hand, people who victimize their classmates may be heading down a path toward more antisocial behavior and delinquency.