Victims of Cyberbullying: The Problem Status

Abstract

This article is devoted to the victimological problems of cyberbullying. The key, in the author’s opinion, problematic issues arising in the study of this phenomenon are formulated. During the theoretical analysis of the works of domestic and foreign researchers, data on the prerequisites of cyberbullying are provided. The definition of the term “victim of cyberbullying” is given, the classification of victims of such actions is proposed. According to the nature of the victim’s responses, they are classified into two main groups (involved / uninvolved victims) and a number of subgroups, among which they differ: aggressive, avoidant, compromise, protective, submissive, auto-incriminating, ignoring and derealization victims. Depending on the degree of intensity of reactions of the victim of cyberbullying, it is proposed to distinguish the reacting and neglecting type of victim.