The terms teasing and bullying are very common words used in everyday life. The meaning and definition of both the terms are exactly different on their counterparts but still many of the individuals vanishes the line between the terms. Although these terms became one sometimes depending upon the situation faced by a person.
Teasing vs Bullying
The main difference between Teasing and Bullying is that teasing is usually considered to be a healthy practice and has a positive perspective towards others while comparatively, on the other hand, bullying is usually considered as not so healthy practice and it is a deliberate attempt of a person to harm someone and is often known to be a negative perspective.
Teasing is defined as a practice followed by any person that often pranks someone, makes jokes, don funny acts, etc. The whole practice of teasing doesn’t involve any intentional hurting of feelings of someone. The consequences of using this method among peers, groups, or friends are to build a healthy relationship or have fun in life.
Bullying is defined as a practice followed by any person that involves mocking of some weak individual in any way like – physical abuse, mental abuse, calling out weird names, spreading rumors and many more. The people following such practice do this to show their authoritative nature and power. Such cases sometimes affect a person very adversely.
Comparison Table Between Teasing and Bullying
| Parameters of Comparison | Teasing | Bullying |
| Definition | It can be defined as the way of laughing but in a funny manner, but all this practice involves unintentional way | It can be defined as the way of mocking someone intentionally and harming them |
| Characteristics | Playful, funny, or friendly | Physical, emotional, aggressive, or intentional |
| Perception | Positive | Negative |
| Consequences | Helps in building a relationship, overcoming awkward situations | Depression, distressed, frightened child, emotionally drained, an adverse case leads up to a suicide |
| Reasons | The increased closeness between individuals, dealing social affiliations, and prevail over an awkward situation | To harm someone is done intentionally, to show authority |
| Example of Way | It is friendly, rational, usually involves calling out names | Diminishing someone’s character, saying out cruel names, forcing someone to do inappropriate things |
What is Teasing?
Teasing is a practice followed by almost every individual once or often in their lifetime. It is defined as a technique of making other laughs by cracking jokes, playing pranks, calling out funny names of someone, and many more. Overall this method is a practice that doesn’t hurt the feelings of someone else in an intentional manner.
The characteristics for identifying teasing practice include – funny pranks, playful manner, and comfort zone. Thus is it said to be having a positive influence on others. But sometimes more than such practice, it can become negative. Teasing is practiced in many ways like verbal or taunting.
Verbal teasing involves laughing, giggling, or smiling and making fun of each other in a comfortable manner. While taunting method involves continuous mocking someone for their words or action is done before the moment. The excess of this may turn into bullying vanishing the difference line between them.
What is Bullying?
Bullying is a practice followed by someone who wants to show authoritative behavior towards the weak one. It is defined as belittling some weak individual by following a different practice that may include – physical abuse, emotional abuse, social abuse, and many others. For example – A person called Ram is continuously mocking some other individual Shyam hurting his feelings and sentiments is termed as bullying.
Bullying includes some different methods other than physical and emotional, sometimes people get trapped in cyberbullying and often in social bullying.
Such practices are said to be avoided as they hurt the sentiments of the person facing them. Often these practices have a very adverse effect on their mind that leads them to depression, distressed mind, fright, or suicide.
Main Differences Between Teasing and Bullying
- Teasing is defined as the practice that is used by any individual for making fun of something or someone it is overall an unharmful practice whereas comparatively, on the other hand, bullying is defined as the practice that is followed by someone who deliberately wants to harm someone.
- The characteristics for identifying teasing practice include – funny pranks, playful manner, and comfortable zone while comparatively, on the other hand, the common characteristics for identifying bullying practices involves – physical, emotional, aggressive, or intentional way of disturbing someone.
- The overall perception of teasing is considered to be in a positive way while comparatively, on the other hand, the overall perception of teasing is considered to be in a negative way.
- The after consequences experienced after teasing includes – some awkward situation, building a healthy relationship while comparatively, on the other hand, the after consequences experienced after bullying includes – Depression, distress, frightened child, emotionally drained, an adverse case leading up to suicide.
- The reason behind teasing involves a healthy relationship between the individuals, prevailing any unwanted situation, having fun while comparatively, on the other hand, the reasons behind bullying someone may involve – showing authority to someone, aggression, intentional grudge for others, etc.
- The example of the method of teasing someone may include – friendly, funny, calling out someone with funny names, pranks, etc while comparatively, on the other hand, the example of a method of bullying someone include – deliberately forcing any child to do inappropriate things against s/he wish, physical abuse, calling cruel names, diminishing someone’s character.
Conclusion
To summarize the given topic this can be concluded that the above terms teasing and bullying are often used in schools, universities, and work areas. Even nowadays, before admissions, many schools and universities asked their students to sign affidavits that claim to not follow such activities in their premise and if found doing so the authorities may take willing actions against them.
These terms have a very thin line of difference between them when making fun, playing pranks involves a comfortable zone for the person with whom these are done is termed to positive influence and is teasing. But if the practice moves out the comfort level of the person, hurts their feelings, and is practiced continuously is termed as a negative influence and is known as bullying.
Such practices have many adverse and serious effects on the person facing this. Sometimes individuals turn to be non-expressive because of the fear, undergo depression, and also take drastic steps of suicide.
References
- https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED462134
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02671520110058679
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0272431615596428
- https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED453474
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