HSP | Highly Sensitive People
People that are classified as Highly Sensitive Person ( HSP ) are perfect targets for a bully. Particularly if their self-confidence is lagging in any way. It is extremely easy for a bully to scare them or to make them cry or to make them overreact thus increasing the bully’s effect and his pleasure, as sick as that might sound. This is exactly what the bully wants. This is what they are looking for.
This is a perfect example of what I am talking about when I say that humans are the only animal that seems to derive a reverse sense of pleasure from harming or scaring another person. The greater the over-reaction from the Highly sensitive person, the greater his sense of enjoyment seems to be.
What bullies don’t seem to understand is that they are doing just as much harm to themselves as they are to their victims. It is a well-established fact that both the bully and the Highly Sensitive Person will suffer long-term consequences due to the bullying
Most research into teen bullying tends to focus only on the victim. This means we know little about how the bully is affected. An Australian study shows that teenagers who have been both a Highly Sensitive Person victim and a bully are at the greatest risk of mental health problems, including self-harm and suicidal thoughts.
HSP People Can Seem Different.
Dr. Elaine Aron described HSP people in 1997, purporting high
sensitivity to be a personality trait that occurs in about 20% of the population. She further described this trait as stemming from differences in the nervous system, where there is a greater sensitivity to stimuli.
Highly Sensitive People people tend to perceive things more intensely and have a stronger awareness of the subtleties around them, making them generally respond differently than most to their environment. HSP people are often known to be gentle, emotional, intense, and of course sensitive.
The same wonderfully positive traits that make this population stand out can lead to highly sensitive adults being misunderstood or perceived as weak, overly emotional, haughty, or pushovers.
HSP Traits
People who are classified as Highly Sensitive People often have specific 
traits in common. These are sometimes labeled as gifted. Gifted traits often include keen observation skills, fast-thinking, and a strong sense of justice, which can potentially make gifted individuals sound like know-it-alls, system challengers, or tattletales—common marks for people who bully.
Even people generally considered kind may feel uncomfortable about, or threatened by, the characteristics often associated with gifted and HSP populations. And the people who have these traits do tend to notice. The Gifted Identity Project (Malonai and Duncan, 2015) reported that most gifted HSP people feel lonely, isolated, quirky, and different.
While gifted, Highly Sensitive people might come across as different, the quirky aspects of giftedness are multifaceted and sometimes incongruous. Gifted traits often include keen observation skills, fast-thinking, and a strong sense of justice, which can potentially make gifted individuals sound like know-it-alls, system challengers, or tattletales—common marks for people who bully.
Even adult HSP’s get bullied. The fact is, HSPs are likely targets.
Additional Traits for HSPs.
This is a partial list of traits that are associated with HSP people.
- They often absolutely abhor violence, abuse, neglect and cruelty. …
- They need more down time than normal. …
- They tend to be low-maintenance and easy to please. …
- Making decisions takes longer than normal. …
- They have difficulty with change. …
- They feel things more deeply.