“We owe everyone a basic level of respect and dignity because they are made in the image of God” notes Paul Coughlin, who heads-up The Protectors non-profit group. “But we don’t owe everyone the same treatment – we just don’t.”

Coughlin, author of , joined me for another episode of Austin Hill in the Morning to discuss the ways in which bullying happens between adults – sometimes even among adult family members.

“Most of how we communicate is with body language” he notes. “Contrary to what most of us think, bullies don’t pick a fight with everyone. We kind of wonder ‘this person must be this way all the time’….but they’re not, they’re looking for people with whom they’re pretty sure they can get away with it. Have you noticed that the bully in the family doesn’t go after everyone? There are certain people, in most cases and most of the time, they don’t go after. Why? Because they’re pretty sure they can’t dominate that person and that the person’s going to push back.”

Coughlin went on to explain appropriate ways in which would-be victims can “push back,” and even prevent bullying situations.

Listen to my full discussion with Paul Coughlin below:

A bully in the boardroom, or in the family?