Porecla – instrument de persiflare sau formă de bullying?

Our research proposes a psycho- and sociolinguistic analysis of nicknames in the school environment, as well as the establishment of criteria that differentiate between amusing and aggressive nicknames. Bullying has recently become a topic of interest for psychologists in Romania and it continues to be a relevant issue. The implications that this phenomenon has on the development of children can also be observed through the nicknames they assign to each other. Therefore, this study aims to highlight that not all nicknames are forms of bullying. To collect the necessary data, we combined direct field investigation with an examination of language facts. The surveyed locations include both rural areas (Vadu Izei, Berbești, Giulești, Sat Șugatag, Hărnicești, Desești, and Mara) and urban areas (Sighetu Marmației and Baia Mare) in Maramureș country. The participants are between the ages of 10 and 50 and include both students and teachers.