What is bullying?

How can someone distinguish

bullying from hazing or meanness?
While state laws have little consistency in their definition of bullying, the
accepted definition by the U.S. Department of Education and by
many mental health professionals is unwanted physical or verbal
aggression directed at a specific person, repeated over a period, involves
an imbalance of power, and acts to exclude the victim from a group. It is
further characterized by the bully repeatedly using higher social status over
the victim to exert power and to hurt the victim. When the harassment,
name calling, gossiping, outing, rumor spreading, threats, or other forms of
intimidation expand from being done in person or by phone to the use of
emails, chat rooms, blogs, or other social media over the Internet, it is
referred to as cyber bullying or online bullying. In contrast, hazing is part of
initiation of the victim into a group, and meanness does not involve an
imbalance of power. Further, meanness involves hurtful behaviors between
people who are equals, in social standing and otherwise.

People usually think of bullying as taking place between children at school.

However, it can also occur at work and include aggressive behaviors like
verbal abuse, sabotaging the victim's job or work relationship, or misusing
authority. Adult bullies who engage in these behaviors are males 60% of
the time. While men who bully tend to victimize both genders equally,
women bullies target other women about 80% of the time.