Psychological Development and Education ›› 2023, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (4): 590-598.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2023.04.15

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The Definition of Bullying: From Cross-cultural and Developmental Perspectives

ZHANG Wenxin   

  1. School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014
  • Published:2023-07-19

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Abstract: Bullying is a complex phenomenon. Clarifying the definition of bullying is a challenging but essential task. The connotation of the word “bullying” varies across cultures, and peoples' perceptions and understandings of bullying differed as a function of developmental stages. Based on cross-cultural and developmental perspectives, the current study reviewed the studies on the definition of bullying, discussed the nature of bullying in the context of Chinese culture as well as children and adolescents' understanding of bullying. Generally, the nature of “Qiling” in Chinese culture is comparable with “bullying” in Western cultures. Among three definitive characteristics (intention to harm, repetition, and power imbalance), the word “Qiling” highlights the intention to harm and power imbalance. Compared to children, adolescents' and adults' understandings of bullying are more precise and comprehensive and more agreed with the scientific definition. Intention to harm and power imbalance are the key elements when adolescents and adults distinguish bullying from other peer conflicts. Repetition is not one of key elements of bullying, but is an essential cue to identify bullying—the repetitive harmful incidents are more likely to be perceived as bullying. Finally, we proposed the implications of illuminating the definition of bullying on antibullying interventions.

Key words: bullying, definition, culture, development

CLC Number: 

  • B844
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