Emotional Versus Physical Bullying

Emotional abuse is a pattern of behaviour that attacks a child's emotional development and self- worth, this abuse is probably the least understood of all child abuse, yet it can be the most destructive of them all. It is the most common form of abuse – and yet least talked about. Part of the reason it is so easy for people to overlook is that so much of what is considered normal and acceptable forms of communication is in fact abusive. Bullying has become an increasing problem in our society over the past few decades that threaten physical and emotional harm to ever-greater numbers of young people.

Unlike physical abuse where a single incident constitutes abuse, emotional abuse is made up of a series of incidents, or a pattern of behaviour that occurs over time. It is more than just verbal insults. According to (Munro, 2001) emotional abuse is a series of repeated incidents – whether intentional or not – that insults, threatens isolates, degrades, humiliates, and control, punishment or teasing. There are a variety of signs to look for when distinguishing an emotionally abused child. A child may talk about themselves in a negative manner. An abused child may be very shy and act very passive towards others. Children who are often emotionally attacked are overly demanding and usually have some type of sleeping and speech disorder. Children who are constantly belittled suffer at least as much, if not more, than those who are physically abused. Emotional abuse is a behavioural pattern that attacks a child's self-esteem and emotional development. There are many types of emotional abuse. This pattern of behaviour takes on five forms: rejecting, isolating, ignoring, terrorizing, and corrupting (Garbarino, 1998).

Physical bullying occurs when a person uses bodily acts to gain power over peers. It can include kicking, punching, hitting or other physical attacks. Unlike other types of bullying in schools, physical bullying is easy to identify because the