“Cher! He is the Bully!”

It is instinctive to call those who bully others “bullies”, and those who are targeted as “victims,” but this may have unintended consequences.

• Labeling can influence the way others see and treat them
• Once labelled, it is very difficult to lose that tag
• Labels have a huge impact on individual’s self-esteem. When a person hears something about themselves often enough, they eventually start to believe it and act accordingly.

Instead of labeling, we should focus on the behavior exhibited. That is:
• Instead of calling someone a “bully,” refer to them as “the one who bullied” or as “the aggressor”
• Instead of calling someone a “victim,” refer to them as “the one who was bullied” or as “the targeted”.