Typology of bullying and strategies of victim students (Case study: male students in Sangar city)

Student bullying is an interdisciplinary phenomenon encompassing individual, social, and cultural dimensions and is closely intertwined with power relations within the school environment. The present study aims to examine the nature, forms, and strategies employed by students in confronting this phenomenon. This research adopted a qualitative approach and was conducted using thematic analysis. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 30 male students who had direct experiences of bullying. Participants were selected through purposive sampling, which continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. The findings indicate that psychological, physical, verbal, and social forms of bullying were identified in boys’ schools in Sangar City. Students’ responses to bullying were categorized into two general types: active and passive subjects. Students with higher levels of social and cultural capital were less likely to be exposed to bullying, whereas those with lower levels of capital constituted the primary targets. Data analysis further revealed that bullying is influenced by a set of inequalities and individual, social, cultural, and economic problems, which are reproduced through social institutions—particularly the family and the school—and are intensified under the discursive silence of these institutions. Moreover, lower social classes tend to utilize bullying as a subculture of resistance to affirm their identity and masculinity. These findings highlight the necessity of simultaneously addressing institutional structures and individual power resources in understanding and combating student bullying.