Bullying affects not only children and adolescents but also adults in many different kinds of settings. Bullying in adults can happen at work, at home, or in the community.

Adult bullying frequently involves more intricate power dynamics, such as seniority and juniority or supervisors and employees. Bullying during this time is often harder to handle because of concerns about the possible consequences, such as losing one's career or having one's social standing impacted. What are the patterns of bullying that adults face, and how do they overcome them?

Types and Patterns of Bullying in Adults

Adult bullying patterns and types are very similar to those experienced by children and teenagers. Nevertheless, the issue becomes extremely complicated.

Adults frequently encounter several forms of bullying, including the ones listed below:

Material bullying

Material bullying happens when a person uses their power or position to oppress other people. Bullies like these typically have a high level of authority, such as a boss or manager.

They may frighten others by controlling money, power, or other resources. For example, threatening salary cuts or firing to assert dominance.

Verbal bullying

Verbal bullying, as the name implies, includes the act of using words to deliver insults and harsh remarks. The victim may be constantly criticized, mocked, and humiliated in front of others.

Verbal bullying typically uses racist, homophobic, or threatening language. This might create pressure and discomfort. People who experience it frequently feel insecure.

Read more: The Long-Term Impact Of Bullying On Children And Youth

Passive aggressive bullying

Adult bullying sometimes involves a recurring pattern of passive-aggressive behavior, when the bully presents a nice facade yet engages in negative behaviors behind the scenes.

They engage in bullying through the use of gossip, sarcasm, or harsh jokes. They may also use subtle facial expressions like condescension or derision to make the victim feel worried, unhappy, and insecure.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is typically carried out using devices such as cellphones, laptops, or social media. This kind of bullying can be extremely harmful because it grows rapidly and extensively and is difficult to prevent.

Cyberbullying may be expressed as hateful emails, offensive texts, posts on social media, and private messages intended to make the victim feel worthless.

Physical bullying

Bullying among other adults can take the form of physical bullying, which is characterized by the use of violence. Physical bullying not only causes physical injury but also deep emotional trauma for the person who experiences it.

Read more: What Children Need To Teach To Face Bullying

Bullying Intervention in Adult

Even though bullying among adults is a complex issue, you cannot simply remain silent. If you believe you are one of the victims, use the following ways to avoid the bullying you are experiencing:

Be mindful of the appropriate time to respond

Direct confrontation is preferable if the bullying action is not extreme or threatening. It is important to pick your moments when you need to fight back. Not every situation calls for an immediate reaction.

Maintain eye contact

Maintaining eye contact shows you are confident and not intimidated. This may decrease the perpetrator's encouragement to continue harassing, as bullies typically target people who appear weak and powerless.

Stay away

If you are the victim of workplace bullying, attempt to avoid and separate yourself from the abuser. For example, by rearranging workstations, avoiding eating lunch together, and limiting interactions as much as feasible.

Record incidents

Every time bullying happens, keep complete records of the incident, including the date, time, location, witnesses, actions taken, and words stated. If you want to pursue additional action, this documentation may serve as strong evidence.

Never be afraid to ask friends, family, counselors, or attorneys for help. You might feel more resilient and prepared to handle the current situation with the assistance of moral and expert support. If you self-harm or spend more time alone as a result of depression symptoms, you can either visit a doctor, a psychologist, or make use of the consultation features that are available in the Ai Care application by downloading the Ai Care application from the App Store or Play Store.

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