Triggering (SI/Abuse) - What's the difference?

[Twisted Fate]

What is the difference between abuse and bullying? That question has always blurred in my mind and it's still the thing that haunts me from school. Is this abuse? I always thought of it as bullying. One year at school we had a sub for most of the year the normal teacher was on maternity leave. So the sub never had us change seats which meant I never got away from him. I sat next to him not by choice. He would hit me in class and tell me what a f***ing b**** I was and how worthless I was. Yet he was my friend. One day I made the mistake of giving him some of my glitter pencils. He took them and everyday he grabbed my arm and rubbed them against my hand or wrist, or arm until it turned really red and started bleeding. I would fight but it did no good. I would ask him to stop I would pull away. But guess what if you fight they will only be more forceful and only punish you for it. I pulled away he grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back. God I thought he was going to break it. Another time in class he wouldn't stop tickling me and went too far down and started tickling me in a place I didn't like... I stabbed him hard with a pencil he got pissed and pulled my chair out from under me so I fell. Then he got all his friends to start calling me a psycho bitch and **** got worse from there. One day he made me feel guilty so I let him stab me back in the arm harder then I stabbed him. Every day it went on. No wonder I felt worthless and like a stupid piece of s***. but it is abuse? Someone told me it was but still seems more like bullying. But who knows maybe I'm just trying to justify it. I figured after I found out it wasn't worth it to fight I tried to justify it by not minding the pain and even kind of liking it. Maybe that lead me to cutting? Mmm Not trying to blame it on him thought I know it was my choice to start cutting. I feel stupid posting this and have never told any one about it in real life.

[Stellata]

I see bullying as peer abuse.
It seems some people don't take bullying as seriously. But if someone outside of school or a parent did the same thing, they'd see it as assault and severe emotional abuse and harrassment.

[nowhereman]

I don't really know but you're not stupid at all for posting and I hope it helped a bit to write it down.

[GhostDude306]

bullying is emotional abuse, i which more people understood how it affects people

[Circle Of Fire]

bullying is abuse. Its a type of abuse. Like how cocolate is a type of candy..

[broken]

bullying is kind of the same as abuse, although bullying to me never seemed as scarie word as abuse,
I personally would call it abuse because of the severity, but its hard to say.... where do you draw the line????
its all the same and the line is thin!
either way he is in the wrong! and you should never feel stupid for posting. if in doubt post it anyway, someone will help :)

*Hugs*
hope all is okay xxx

[Chrissyann]

Bullying is a type of abuse. I'm not quite sure how you decide whether something is bullying or abuse really. Both are as bad as each other however.

Apparantly (according to definitions I found online)
-Bullying is a form of habitual aggressive behaviour that is hurtful and deliberate.
-Abuse is defined as the systematic pattern of behaviors in a relationship that are used to gain and/or maintain power and control over another.

They sound pretty similar to me. But regardless of what your situation is classed as, it's terrible that you had to go through that at school. You shouldn't be ashamed to speak about what happened hunni. It wasn't your fault at all. It's obviously had an effect on you, and I'm not surprised. Have you got any close friends that you could discuss it with? Just let them know what's happened, so you can have a bit of support? You're hurting yourself because of something that someone has done to you.... you need to come to terms with it, and realise that he was the one at fault. not you. Would you consider talking to anyone about it?

Carry on posting here as much as you can.... we're here to help you.
Take care
*hugs*
Chrissy
xxx