Cyberbullying

There are many reasons that people engage in harassing behaviors. Sometimes it is in response to being offended. The harasser wants to get even. Sometimes people harass others because they feel socially threatened by them. They might not want the other person to take away their friends or popularity. People often harass because they are unsatisfied with their own life. They harass someone else to deal with their own unhappiness.

Stalking, for example, often happens in response to rejection and the desire to get back at someone. The rejection doesn’t have to be real. A stalker may imagine the rejection. This doesn’t just apply to romantic relationships. People can feel rejected in many situations.

Harassment is an outward response to something that happens. The harasser blames people or situations outside of themselves as the cause of their frustration.

The opposite of blaming others is to blame self. Blaming others is called “externalizing” blame. Blaming yourself is called “internalizing” blame. When something happens, people usually blame themselves or others for what is happening. In general, each person is more likely to go one way or the other. Sometimes, it’s appropriate to blame either others or yourself. But there are also times when the blame is placed the wrong direction.