Bullying in school has become a topic of international concern over the last 10–20 years. Starting with research in Scandinavia, Japan and the UK, there is now active research in most European countries, in Australia and New Zealand, Canada and the USA, and Japan and South Korea (Jimerson et al., 2010; Smith et al., 1999). This chapter discusses what we mean by ‘bullying’; summarises some recent research findings on the nature of bullying; discusses the results of large-scale, school-based interventions; and raises issues for future research and practice.

Definitions of bullying

What do we mean by bullying? Although there is no universally agreed definition, there is an emerging consensus in the western research tradition that bullying refers to repeated aggressive acts against someone who cannot easily defend themselves (see Olweus, 1999; Ross, 2002). A similar definition, though perhaps with broader connotations, is that bullying is a ‘systematic abuse of power’ (Rigby, 2002; Smith and Sharp, 1994).

Although the two criteria of repetition, and power imbalance, are not universally accepted, they are now widely used. Bullying, by its nature, is likely to have particular characteristics (such as fear of telling by the victim), and particular outcomes (such as development of low self-esteem, and depression, in the victim). The relative defencelessness of the victim implies an obligation on others to intervene, if we take the democratic rights of the victim seriously.