Mr Abrahams said he had been inspired by the research of Professor Ellen Walser de Lara, from Syracuse University in New York, and her book Bullying Scars.
She found that almost half of the people who experienced childhood bullying reported that it actually had a positive impact.
“It didn’t exactly do me a lot of good – but at the same time it did,” Mr Abrahams said.
“It made me who I am, it gave me a strong sense of empathy for others, and it made me want to make sure that other people weren’t treated the same as me.
“So, I thought there must be people like that around me that I can find to photograph, where I can set out this kind of double-edged sword.”
He said he had found male participants in the project were “more reluctant” to talk about negative experiences from their childhood.
“We could change that by being more open about it and showing that it’s okay to be open about it.”
The exhibition will be on display for free at Weston Park Museum until 23 February.
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