Bully Characteristics

We all acknowledge that bullying is bad. We have seen the effects of bullying in multiple scenarios. Social media has become a pathway to bullying. We have seen adolescents commit suicide over online bullying.

However, the definition of a bully tends to be different depending upon whom  you ask. There are certain characteristics that are seen consistently in bullies.

The first of those is known as a charismatic trait. This relates to the fact that the bully creates an air of being superior. Anyone who questions their actions must be wrong. They are very self assured. The result is that people tend to be reluctant to call them a bully in the first place.

The second characteristic has to do with acting like they have superior knowledge than everyone else. That often leads them to being a compulsive liar. They tend to not listen to what others have to say. They have problems distinguishing between what is leadership, what is management and what is actual bullying. 

They do not recognize when they are behaving immaturely. They do not recognize when they are being aggressive. They only view their personal objectives and not what is right for the greater good. They tend to be impulsive. They tend to be crass. The result is that they remain oblivious to what others think about them.

The third characteristic has to do with manipulation. They need to control everything. They do this by seeking positions of power. They tend to not do a good job of differentiating between right and wrong. 

They use falsehoods and gossip to distort reality to their liking. They rewrite their personal history to put themselves in a better light. Their preferred mode of motivation is creating fear. They threaten those with contrary opinions. 

The fourth characteristic is known as the Jekyll and Hyde trait. They go from charming when there are many witnesses around to being vicious and vindictive when there are not. There tends to be no remorse for their behavior. They tend to be spiteful. They tend to be vengeful. They have a need to criticize others. 

They also tend to denigrate others that are not like themselves. They may discriminate based on gender. They may discriminate based on race. They may discriminate against those with disabilities.

We all know individuals with some of these characteristics. However, we do not often run into those who manifest almost all of these characteristics. It is not surprising that individuals like this can destroy someone on line enough to have them want to kill themselves.