Mobbing

Mobbing in the context of human beings means bullying of

an individual by a group in any context, such as a family,
friends, peers, school, workplace, neighborhood, community,
or online.

When it occurs as emotional

abuse in the workplace, such as
"ganging up" by co-workers,
subordinates or superiors, to
force someone out of the
workplace through rumor,
innuendo, intimidation,
humiliation, discrediting, and
isolation, it is also referred to as
malicious, nonsexual, nonracial,
general harassment.

Development of the concept

Lorenz
(1966)

Heinemann
(1970)

Leimann
(1980)

Davenport,
etc.

In the workplace

In the book MOBBING: Emotional

Abuse in the American Workplace,
the authors identify mobbing as a
particular type of bullying that is
not as apparent as most, defining it
as "...an emotional assault. It
begins when an individual becomes
the target of disrespectful and
harmful behavior. Through
innuendo, rumors, and public
discrediting, a hostile environment
is created in which one individual
gathers others to willingly, or
unwillingly, participate in
continuous malevolent actions to
force a person out of the
workplace."

The authors say that

mobbing is typically
found in work
environments that have
poorly organized
production and/or
working methods and
incapable or inattentive
management and that
mobbing victims are
usually "exceptional
individuals who
demonstrated
intelligence,
competence, creativity,
integrity,
accomplishment and
dedication".

Psychological and health effects

ADJUSTMENT DISORDERS

Somatic symptoms

Headaches

Irritable bowel syndrom

Psychological trauma

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Major depression

At school
Following on from the
work of Heinemann,
Elliot identifies
mobbing as a common
phenomenon in the
form of group bullying
at school. It involves
'ganging up' on
someone using tactics
of rumor, innuendo,
discrediting, isolating,
intimidating, and
above all, making it
look as if the targeted
person is responsible
(victim blaming).

In academia
Kenneth Westhues' study of mobbing in
academia found that vulnerability was
increased by personal differences such as
being a foreigner or of a different sex; by
working in fields such as music or
literature which have recently come
under the sway of less objective and
more post-modern scholarship; financial
pressure; or having an aggressive
superior. Other factors included envy,
heresy and campus politics.

THANKS FOR YOUR

ATTENTION