LuckyR wrote: ↑Today, 2:31 am
Yes, bullying is sociopathic as it occurs in violation of social norms and expectations. Competition is not generally sociopathic since in the majority of cases it occurs in socially designated areas of legitimate competition.
Sy Borg wrote: ↑Today, 3:44 am
I would say bullying is more usually psychologically predatory than sociopathic. It isn't necessarily sadistic. Often it's a means to an end - fighting dirty to gain an unfair edge in competition. One doesn't need to be a sociopath to bully, just an immature or cynical human. It's one of many nasty possible behaviours that we humans manage to perpetrate in the argy bargy of life.
I think we are agreed that bullying is common among humans. But now we seem to be wondering about a definition of bullying. What does it include, and what is above and beyond mere 'bullying'? I am surprised to find that we are wondering if what humans do to 'food animals' is bullying.
Bullying has many definitions, and we have many interpretations of exactly what the word means. But Dictionary.com suggests this as a definition: "
Bullying — the act of harassing, intimidating, or abusing others, especially habitually or from a perceived position of relative power".
That doesn't seem to extend easily to cover our treatment of other animals, particularly food animals.