Peer Bullying and Mobbing

From Power Over Others to Responsibility for Others

Bullying and mobbing are failures of human connection, dignity and ethical responsibility. A healthy human community is one in which people can belong without having to diminish someone else.

Key Principles:

• Bullying as a Failure of Connection: Countering “You do not belong” with “You belong because you are human.”
• Humility as an Antidote: We do not become greater by making another person smaller. Status creates responsibility, not superiority.
• Seeing the Person Behind the Role: Accountability should never require dehumanisation.
• Listening to the Victim: Establishing cultures where individuals feel safe enough to speak.
• The Bystander's Ethics: Compassion is also what we are willing to stand up for.

The opposite of bullying is not weakness; it is power with others rather than power over others.