Want to know what bullies do when the victim is unavailable? Here are all the ways they react after their target leaves the environment.

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Bullies can’t handle it if they don’t have someone to victimize. So, what do they do when no one is around they can subjugate?

In this post, you will learn what bullies do when the victim is unavailable so that you can discover how evil they are.

Once you discover this valuable information, you will know more about the psychology of bullies, and it may help you to stand stronger.

This post is about what bullies do when the victim is unavailable to allow you to pick their brains and get a glimpse into their mindsets.

What Bullies Do When The Victim is Unavailable

What scares bullies the most is losing power.

When you aren’t available to bully, it drives your bullies up the wall. Do you want to know why? It’s because they need someone to tear down.

Without a victim, bullies don’t know what to do. They thrive on having someone to jerk around. So, what do they do when you’re not available?

1. They run you down behind your back.

Not that they don’t do that anyway. However, these people have a sick obsession with you. Therefore, they talk trash because you consume their minds.

And they can’t wait for you to return, and they can pick up where they left off.

2. They miss the control they once had.

For example, if you quit your job or transfer schools, your bullies may become angry. Why? Because you’re out of their reach.

They no longer have control over you. You see? When you walk away from the bullying environment, so does their power. And it drives them batty!

What Bullies Do When The Victim is Unavailable:

3. They search for a new victim.

If you leave permanently, they’ll look for someone else to jerk around once you’re gone. And it may take a week or two. However, you can bet that without the next week or two, you’ll see them messing with a new person.

4. But what they do mostly is eat their own.

I saw this happen at Oakley High School and even in the workplace. When there are no targets left, bullies will begin to turn on one of their own group members.

Understand that even the inner circle of the clique has a pecking order. Every clique has a leader, second-in-command, third, all the way down to the bottom rat.

And if their targets aren’t available, the clique will turn on the bottom rat. Then, she will be the new target.

And if the bottom rat’s not available, the poor sucker on the second rung up is the one who will catch hell.

Shit rolls downhill and lands on the bottom. Therefore, whoever is unfortunate enough to be at the bottom will be bullied.

What Bullies Do When The Victim is Unavailable:

5. They fight among themselves.

Sometimes, the targets don’t have to be unavailable. I stood back and watched a lot of back-biting between the members of the bully cliques.

A few would go out with the other friends’ boyfriends or girlfriends behind their backs. And when they’d see them at school the following Monday, they’d smile in their faces.

When I saw this, it made me thankful not to be in with that group. No sane person wants such strange, twisted, and dysfunctional friendships.

With them, it was back-to-back ego trips. What most targets and wannabes at OHS considered a curse, a few others considered a blessing.

I could deal with not being in the in-crowd; that was fine and dandy. What I had an issue with was that none of those creeps would leave me alone, go on about their business, and get a life.

Therefore, you should never worry about being in the in-crowd. Why? Because it’s not the way to feel validated.

You’re just as awesome without them. You’re also freer! Because if you’re not in a clique, you don’t have to live up to anyone’s unwritten rules or standards.

You’re free to be yourself and do your own thing. And there is nothing better!

What Bullies Do When The Victim is Unavailable:

Bullies crave power.

Remember that bullies must always have someone to look down on. And it’s because it’s the only way they can feel better about themselves.

They need someone to dump on to feel powerful. And they need someone to tell what to do and ride roughshod over to feel superior.

Therefore, if their usual targets aren’t available, the bullies at the top will turn on the lowest members of their own group. And they will degrade them until their regular victim returns.

Why Bullies Eat Their Own

Simple. To feel almighty and powerful. Bullies must have people to dominate and subjugate. And having power over is extremely addictive to them.

It’s like a drug. It’s why bullies repeatedly bully their targets over a long period of time, years even. It’s because that “drug” wears off rather quickly.

Therefore, it won’t be long before your bullies come back for their next “fix.”

What Bullies Do When The Victim is Unavailable:

bullies also lose power when you begin seeing through them.

However, what happens when you finally realize who your bullies really are behind the tough facades? What happens when the masks fall off, and your bullies’ cowardice and insecurity come to light?

Oooo! This is beginning to sound delicious, isn’t it?

Here’s what happens. Once you see through your bullies, your confidence will get a big boost. You will realize that you aren’t the one with the issues. And you never were.

Instead, you’ll find that the bullies were the ones who had the issues all along. Then, you’ll finally have the courage to give the bullies the proverbial middle finger.

And you’ll tell them all to eat a fat one.

What Bullies Do When The Victim is Unavailable:

A sudden shift in the power dynamic.

Moreover, the power dynamic will take a sudden shift.  The scales of power will automatically tip in your favor. And you will no longer be a victim. The best way to disempower bullies is to empower targets.

Once you refuse to be a victim, bullies no longer have power over you. Therefore, this is another reason why bullies end up eating their own.

But before they eat their own, they’ll search for outsiders to target.

When they spot several potential targets, they’ll test the waters by performing several tests on these “potentials.” Bullies will watch them closely.

Next, they’ll launch subtle attacks and insults to see how they react. But! What will the bullies do when things don’t go quite the way they expect?

What happens when the potentials also give them the double middle finger?

Uh-oh, now they can’t find someone they can target! Curses! Now, what’s a poor bully to do? Targeting someone in the in-group is usually a last resort.

Therefore, if there’s no one left to bully, they select one of their own.

That’s right! Once the bullying in-group runs out of targets on the outside, they have no choice but to turn their bullying inward. So, they start bullying people within their group.

Remember that bullies need a target victim. They need someone to dominate and subjugate to have power. And the reason for it is that they can’t get power any other way.

Without someone to ride roughshod over, to tell what to do, and to exert control over, bullies feel powerless. And you know what? They are!

What Bullies Do When The Victim is Unavailable:

In Conclusion

Realize that bullies have a constant craving for power. And if their primary victim isn’t around to give it to them, they’ll find someone else who will.

Here’s a quick recap. Without their regular victim, bullies will:

• Run you down behind your back.
• Miss the power they once had.
• Search for a new victim.
• Eat their own
• Fight amongst themselves.

Therefore, if you know a victim who has left, keep your eyes peeled. And make sure that you don’t become the next victim.

This post is about what bullies do when the victim is unavailable so that you understand the mindsets they have and protect yourself from becoming the next victim.

Related posts you’ll enjoy:

1. Bullies Eat Their Own: 3 Reasons Bullies Bully within Their Group

2. Cliques and Bullying: 3 Dirty Secrets Cliques Try to Hide

3. What Do Bullies Fear Most? 10 Things That Terrify Bullies