Adults Who Bully

Bullying is not limited to children. Adults also can be bullies. An adult bully is a grown-up who participates in intimidating tactics as a form of bullying. There are many ways or tactics an adult can participate in to bullying others. These tactics include making false accusations about a person, intimidating a person, being dismissive, and using mood swings as an excuse to mistreat others. Intimidation is also a common form of bullying for adults. Intimidation can also be non-verbal.

How to Identify Bully Tactics

It may be a bit of a challenge to identify an adult bully. Nevertheless, there are telltale signs, like with any bully, that can alert a person that a bully is present. An adult bully can be identified by the things that they do to hurt or control others. If someone looks down on others because of what they do for a living, this is a good indicator that they are possibly a bully. If they make condescending remarks, this is another indicator. Indications like mistreating others due to social class, racial background, or economic class are signs that this adult could be a bully.Many times adult bullying can be found in the workplace. The workplace is not the only place where adult bullying occurs, but it is the most popular location. Schools and events are other places where adults get bullied, but the workplace happens to be the most popular form of bullying due to management and higher ranked workers bullying lower-ranked workers.  

Adult Bullies Thrive in the Workplace

Bullying in the workplace can come in the form of tangible power, including using ones title or position to belittle or demean others. The most common form of bullying at work is using one's position to bully others in the workplace. Other forms of bullying in the workplace are passive-aggressive bullying, which is not as common but happens too often. Examples of passive-aggressive bullying in the workplace include condescending eye contact, sarcasm, and gossip. Physical bullying, in some instances, can also happen in the workplace. Examples include personal space violation, physical size domination, and instances of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Effects of Bullying

Adult bullying has a lot of emotional and mental effects. Your self-esteem or self-confidence can be affected when you are being bullied. Your feelings are most likely to be hurt. You may also be uncomfortable being in the same space as your bully.

Get Help

If you are a victim of adult bullying, there are ways to cope with this. Coping is necessary. Try not to take things personally. Seek help if you are suffering from mental, verbal, or emotional abuse. Confront your bully in the proper setting and let others know what is happening. Deal with the issue straightforward. Speak up for yourself. Standing up for yourself is necessary. Alert authorities if necessary, especially if things get out of hand.

See Something, Say Something

Do not be a bystander. If you witness adult bullying, step in, and help the victim. Also, let us help bullies. Talk with them and try to de-escalate the situation. Professional help will help a bully understand why they do what they do to others in some instances and help them better understand themselves. Bullying can also be seen as a cry for help, so make sure to reach out if you have ever been told you are a bully.

Local Mental Health Services:

Taos Behavioral HealthAddress:

105-B Bertha St Taos, NM 87571

Phone:

(575)758-4297        

Valle Del Sol of New MexicoAddress:

314 Don Fernando St Taos, NM 87571

Phone:

(575)751-7037

National Hotlines:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline        

Phone:

1800-273-8255                        

www.stopbullying.org