Mobbing: what is this type of bullying and how to deal with it?

All vacancies promise a friendly work team, but is this true in practice? A team cannot exist without contradictions and conflicts, but this is useful provided that the conflicts are constructive. And if conflicts are a normal phenomenon, then mobbing (emotional abuse) always has a destructive impact on the individual, group and productivity.

Mobbing as a type of psychological violence

The essence of the concept

The term “mobbing” comes from the English word “mob”, which means “crowd”. The concept of mobbing was introduced by Swedish psychologist, Dr. Hanz Leimon. He defined it as a type of psychological violence in which a group of people commits prolonged persecution and bullying of one specific person. As a rule, both mobbers (aggressors) and the victim are members of the same team.

Bullying and bullying can take many forms. Dr. Layman identified 45 behaviors characteristic of mobbers:

• physical aggression (push, hit, beat);
• verbal aggression (insult, slander, humiliate, intimidate);
• boycott;
• ignoring;
• damage to personal property, etc.

A person can encounter mobbing anywhere: at school, college or even at work. The goal of mobbing is always to remove an “undesirable” person from the team (expulsion from an educational institution or dismissal from work).

How is mobbing different from bullying?

Both of these terms are similar, but they have one significant difference.

When bullying occurs, the conflict occurs among equal persons (classmates, students), and superiors rarely have any idea about it.

In the case of mobbing, management can take one of the following positions:

1. Be the direct organizer of bullying and support it.
2. Ignore what is happening, pretend that nothing is happening.
3. Condemn mobbers and make attempts to stop bullying in the team.

Stages of development

Mobbing does not appear suddenly and out of nowhere. It emerges gradually, going through several phases of its formation:

Generation phase

As a rule, the emergence of mobbing is facilitated by either unresolved conflict or emotional tension between people.

Initial phase

At this stage, the first attacks towards the victim, ridicule and “jabs” begin.

Active phase

Bullying is becoming systematic. More and more participants are joining them.

Isolation phase

The employee is ignored and deprived of the opportunity to participate in the life of the team. All important decisions are made without his participation.

Final phase

If the situation is not resolved, there are two options for the development of events. The person realizes the detrimental impact of incessant bullying on his physical and mental health and leaves the team. In the worst case scenario, the employee becomes unfit for work due to deterioration in health, and he, willy-nilly, has to quit his job.

Types of mobbing

Horizontal and vertical

Horizontal involves psychological pressure from classmates, fellow students or colleagues, that is, people of equal status.

Vertical mobbing is bullying by higher management (director, manager, manager). This phenomenon is called "bossing".

Sometimes these two species are present simultaneously. The boss begins to psychologically harass the employee, and the others pick up on it. Or vice versa - the initiative comes from the team, and the boss, encouraging such behavior, himself begins to “pressure” the victim.

Open and hidden (latent)

Ridicule, bullying, insults are all means of open mobbing.

Latent mobbing implies hidden psychological pressure on a person.

Case study : Inna came to work for a prestigious, successful company. At first, there were no problems with colleagues and superiors, but after three months the girl noticed that employees began to communicate with her less, only on work issues. For some reason, all important topics were discussed in her absence, and she was the last to know about everything. Or she was completely unaware of the matter, for which she often got scolded by her superiors.

The head of the department began to make comments to her more and more often, although at first he was pleased with her work. After Inna received two fines for being 5 minutes late for work and was deprived of her bonus for forgetting to coordinate the report with the rest of the employees (although no one had previously demanded this from her), the girl wrote a letter of resignation.

A month later, Inna learned from a former colleague that the general director’s cousin had come to work in her place.

Spontaneous and controlled

Spontaneous mobbing can be provoked by a tense situation in the team, when, for example, staff reduction or company reorganization is being prepared.

Managed mobbing is the deliberate persecution of an employee who, for some reason, has become objectionable, but cannot be fired legally. Mobbing is usually managed by the leader himself and uses all the actions of the team to his advantage.

Real and virtual (cybermobbing)

Bullying and stalking of a person can happen both in real life and in cyberspace. The victim may receive threatening messages, post obscene videos on social networks in the name of this person or allegedly with his participation, and also disseminate any personal information.

Cyberbullying – is there any salvation? What should victims of cyberbullying do?

How to resist

You cannot cope with mobbing on your own without physical and psychological support. Mental support means:

• emotional attention;
• understanding;
• empathy;
• hearing;
• satisfaction of interests, search for hobbies.

In addition, instrumental support is important: information, social assistance, practical advice and recommendations.

It is worth noting that emotional abuse often turns physical. With this type of mobbing, it is imperative to contact the appropriate authorities.

The mediation system has proven itself positive in solving the problem of mobbing. A neutral person, a mediator interested in solving the problem, provides significant social support. During the conversation, competent negotiations, constructive interpretation of the position of each party, the mobbing participants come to mutual understanding. An objective discussion and definition of the problem is necessary to resolve it. This is only possible through an intermediary. If the manager is not involved in mobbing, then it is better for him to act as a mediator in resolving the conflict. Or be present while the mediator (psychologist) is working.

Overcoming, preventing or, conversely, developing mobbing largely depends on the position of the leader. There are 3 possible behavior strategies:

• Detachment. The manager lets everything take its course and believes that the employees will figure it out themselves. This approach does not benefit interpersonal relationships and productivity. The atmosphere is heating up, employees live in tension, waiting for the choice of a new victim. A high level of mistrust is formed, any joke is taken seriously and with hostility. Personnel turnover is increasing.
• Unspoken encouragement. The manager perceives mobbing as healthy competition and stimulation of the work process. Behind the scenes, the leader supports confrontation, competition, competition. Perceives mobbing as hardening. With this approach, the situation will sooner or later get out of control; the manager will no longer be able to be just an outside observer. The consequences will be the same as in the previous case, but on a larger scale.
• Intervention. The manager insists on observing the rules of good manners in the team and respectful attitude. He takes care of his employees and creates a favorable psychological climate. This is the position that most organizations adhere to.

Reasons and motives for mobbing

Anyone can be subjected to psychological terror in the form of mobbing.

The main reasons for bullying and insults are:

1. Envy. People may envy their youth, external appearance, financial well-being, talent, position, etc.

2. The desire to assert oneself at the expense of another, to show one’s power and importance by humiliating and insulting another person

3. Violation of the traditions and customs of the team.

If a person does not adhere to and ignores the rules adopted in a particular organization, questions the authority of management, and also behaves provocatively, he automatically begins to be perceived as an alien, foreign element of the team.

4. High level of competition.

In some companies, mobbing is a traditional and approved way of “squeezing” a competitor out of the team.

5. Difference from other employees.

As in the case of bullying, the victims of mobbers are often the “black sheep,” that is, those who are somehow different from the rest.

A person may simply have a different racial or religious affiliation, but for the collective this is already a danger signal - “he is not like us, we don’t need him.”

6. Conflict between employees, revenge for insults.

7. Boredom.

Yes, and this can also be a reason for mobbing. Especially when a new person joins an established or even stagnant team.

8. Low moral and ethical level of the team

9. Negative qualities of the employee himself - a victim of mobbing: laziness, bragging, gossip, etc.

Block 5. Mobbing. Resistance.

5.1. To resist or not to resist?

In the process of mobbing, TARGET subjects are able to resist the attackers and be effective, up to the complete capitulation of the aggressors. However, we should not forget that the active process of resistance leads to open, acute conflicts! And then senior management is forced to intervene in the process. At the same time, the original TARGET may end up being fired, if they are employees of the company, simply because for the bosses it will seem like the easiest way to solve the problem. Surely this is not fair to the TARGET!

But is life built exclusively according to moral patterns?

If active resistance does not occur, then the TARGETs very quickly, sometimes within a month, become victims who have received mental trauma and reputational losses that are incompatible with further stay within the organization.

You can, of course, reassure yourself that I was hooked, bullied, envied, and staying in this “jar of spiders” is more expensive for yourself. But the fact remains that the TARGET is hit by the “arrows” of the mobber(s).

5.2. What negative happens to the TARGET during the mobbing process?

1. The TARGET loses a positive assessment of himself as a person. Overall self-esteem decreases.

2. The TARGET begins to doubt his professional competencies and achievements. The role of the “business professional” is blurring!

3. The TARGET is constantly under tension. Feels anxious about a possible attack by the mobber(s). Neuroticism is increasing.

4. TARGET transfers the conflict from the environment where mobbers are present to other contexts (family, contacts with other people in a different situation). Personal conflict increases.

5. The TARGET does not attempt active and tough resistance to the attackers, takes a conciliatory position, tries to behave peacefully and kindly with mobbers, like “I am Leopold the cat.” This is a serious mistake because mobbers are “playing to hit the TARGET.” This is a fight! Only in children's cartoons are “mice” constantly punished due to circumstances and their own stupidity. In everyday life, mobbers can be very smart, inventive, and fortune can smile on them!

5.3. Example of responses to mobbers.

Now let's look at situations where a mobber attacks a TARGET and how to counter it.

Situation No. 1.

A mobber colleague uses the " You're a clown " technique and greets an employee with irony at a meeting in the presence of other people.

– Look at her, didn’t she show up covered in dust? Irina, were you stuck in the same traffic jam from yesterday again?

TARGET uses the “ If you demote me, it’s bad for our relationship ” technique.

– Andrey, I am concerned about the neglect and lack of respect for myself when they publicly say such things about me! Let's agree that this won't happen again. We need to eliminate negativity before it’s too late, because it harms our relationships.

Situation No. 2.

Mobber boss uses the " You're a fool " technique in public, criticizes the TARGET.

“Olga, you’re not capable of anything, you can’t do anything, you’re doing everything wrong.” They wanted the best, but they got it in one place, nothing new.

The TARGET subordinate uses the “ Are you capable of not demoting me ” counter technique after the meeting, individually.

- Albert, at a meeting in front of everyone you called me a person incapable of doing his job, it sounded humiliating and hurt my feelings, it is in your power to prevent this from happening again, is it possible?

Nonverbal responses must be congruent with the verbal. Look straight into the eyes, speak in a serious, low voice, at an average pace, without smiling!

School mobbing

Mobbing at school is essentially group bullying, when a group of peers insults and bullies a classmate or other student, and teachers ignore the conflict or simply choose not to intervene.

Children's conflicts: how to teach a child to stand up for himself?

Bullying can be expressed in different ways: teenagers use physical methods (both boys and girls can be aggressors) and threatening insults. Also, many people prefer cybermobbing – bullying via the Internet. Especially recently, there has been a popular trend of posting videos online where the victim is beaten and morally humiliated.

As a rule, not only a child, but also a teacher who is bullied by his own colleagues or students can become a victim of school mobbing. According to experts at the “Violence in the Educational Environment” conference, in 2022, 70% of Russian teachers were subjected to bullying and violence.

Just look at the case in the Irkutsk region, when a group of ninth-graders beat up a 73-year-old teacher for a long time! Or a video that went online, where Kyiv schoolchildren throw chewed paper in the face of a chemistry teacher and insult him with obscenities.

Also, recently, shaming - public humiliation and condemnation - has been added to psychological and physical violence against teachers. As an example, there is a recent case with a history teacher from Omsk. Her photos from a photo shoot for a modeling agency, where the girl worked in her free time from work, were leaked online. Having seen photographs of the teacher in a swimsuit on the Internet, angry parents wrote a collective complaint to the school principal. The matter reached the Ministry of Education, and the teacher was forced to resign of her own free will.

Thus, both students and teachers suffer equally from manifestations of school mobbing.

What does not apply to mobbing

Typical Bullying in the Workplace / Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety conflicts that are supported by both sides. For example, mutual reproaches between colleagues due to hostility towards each other. Or quarrels because someone doesn’t put the kettle in its place. In general, all domestic and work disputes without the goal of harassing and humiliating someone.

Also, constructive criticism, planned distribution of responsibilities, positions and salaries, fines and penalties for violating disciplinary rules are not considered mobbing.

Bullying in secondary and higher educational institutions

According to research by the same Dr. Layman, bullying and bullying in education are twice as common as in other industries. Moreover, more often than not, it is not students who become targets of mobbing, but teachers.

“University” mobbing has its own characteristics:

1. The victim is often a young, progressive teacher who is actively promoting his ideas and trying to reform the existing system. An intern, whom everyone considers “ballast” and an “unnecessary element” in the structure of the institution, can also become an object of bullying.
2. The initiator of mobbing is either the head of the department or another managerial person who takes advantage of his permissiveness and tries to get rid of a potential competitor.
3. Also, harassment of a teacher can be organized by students themselves, dissatisfied with dictatorial policies or an overly strict attitude.
4. As a rule, in an academic environment, mobbers use the following types of psychological pressure on a person:
   expressing doubts about the professionalism of the employee;
5. strict control over the conduct of lectures and practical classes;
6. discrediting the teacher in the eyes of students and colleagues;
7. creation of collective complaints.

All this often forces the teacher to leave the given educational institution without even trying to defend his rights.

Mobbing in organizations

The goal of so-called worker mobbing is always the dismissal of a person, his exclusion from the team of employees.

Let's consider several options for mobbing in organizations:

When the victim is a new employee

This type of mobbing is the most common. A new person in a team always attracts a lot of attention. He is not yet familiar with the customs and traditions of the company and may unwittingly do something contrary to the rules.

In such cases they say “I didn’t work well with the team.” But in fact, it may well be that the team simply did not accept the new member.

As a rule, management is aware of cases of mobbing, but does not take any decisive steps. In some cases, the head of the organization himself is the initiator of hidden bullying of a new employee, especially if he begins to violate the hierarchy of established working relationships.

When the victim is the new leader

If a new manager comes to an already established team and immediately begins to break and destroy the rules established over the years, there is a risk of reverse mobbing developing. The demands of the new boss begin to be ignored, he is not respected, and his opinion is not taken into account.

When the victim is an experienced employee

A person who has worked for a company for quite a long time may be subject to mobbing. In this case, the reason for psychological pressure on the employee will be a change in relationships within the team, or a colleague’s career growth or a change in his social status (married/divorced/etc.).

Also, the cause of bullying can be a long-standing conflict between an employee and a manager, or personal hostility.

When the victim is an experienced leader

This type of mobbing happens quite rarely, but it also happens. In this case, the trigger will be “overreaching” by the manager, strict disciplinary measures applied to employees, and a harsh and despotic leadership style.

In any cases of mobbing in a team, responsibility for what is happening lies with the employer. It is he who must stop the bullying and humiliation of any of the employees as soon as possible.

But it is impossible to exclude mobbing from an organization in which the manager himself practices humiliation and insults of employees, considering this the most appropriate way to manage the team.

What are the consequences of bullying at work?

Conflict specialist Professor Davenport described the power of its impact very succinctly: “Although mobbing and bossing may seem quite harmless compared to rape or other manifestations of physical violence, the effect they have on the victim, especially if it lasts long enough, has such destructive force that some people are thinking about committing suicide."

For the victim

The following changes occur to her (often in the same chronology):

• feelings of anxiety, fear or guilt increase;
• doubts arise about professional suitability and problems with self-esteem;
• Serious psycho-emotional disorders develop (including depression and thoughts of suicide);
• loss of job;
• communication problems.

For the aggressor and accomplices

The desire to bully someone is an unhealthy mental phenomenon that will inevitably lead to a lot of problems:

• loss of authority and trust;
• formation of inadequate self-esteem;
• serious psychological deformation of the individual.

For organization

Mobbing – what does this mean for the future of the company? Of course, there are serious problems in development and income generation. Ignoring it by managers will inevitably lead to an irreparable deterioration in the psychological climate in the team. Increasingly, quarrels and conflicts will arise that interfere with coordinated work that can ensure the success of the company.

It is important to understand that in such a situation, it is unlikely that any of the employees will be able to remain neutral and continue to devote all their energy to work. Indeed, in this case, he is most likely to become the next victim of the aggressors. Therefore, all managers should understand the dangers of mobbing at work, and also study ways to combat it.

Consequences of mobbing for its participants

A long-term destructive impact on the human psyche through bullying and humiliation can cause irreparable harm.

A victim of mobbing may have:

• impairment of cognitive (mental) processes, decreased concentration;
• sleep disorders;
• nervous breakdowns;
• depression;
• panic attacks;
• aggressive behavior;
• psychopathological conditions;
• heart attacks and strokes.

The quality of life decreases, well-being worsens, the person feels like a loser and a weakling. If he fails to leave the traumatic situation in time, suicidal thoughts may appear.

How to deal with bullying and bullying in a team?

Many people ask the question: is it even possible to combat mobbing and by what methods?

We answer: it is possible and even necessary to fight mobbing.

You always have the option to leave the team, but no matter how much it becomes a habit, at the slightest conflict with management or employees, write a letter of resignation of your own free will. So first, analyze the situation.

What steps should you take:

Step 1. If you are the target of psychological bullying, try to find out the reason for it. Talk to someone on staff with whom you have a friendly relationship and who takes a neutral position in the mobbing situation.

Step 2. If the cause of bullying was your conflict with one of your colleagues, call him for a frank conversation. Try to resolve all your contradictions one-on-one.

Step 3. Ask yourself the question: “Why am I the target of bullying? Do I need to change something in myself or change the team?

Step 4. Inform management about the current situation.

Step 5. If the initiator of mobbing is a manager, try to prove to him your professional competence and the importance of your stay in the company.

Step 6. If bullying continues, threaten the offenders to record their illegal actions on video and send them to law enforcement agencies.

Step 7. In case of serious material or moral damage, do not hesitate, take the offenders to court.

Step 8. If you have no strength left to fight, you are mentally and physically exhausted, without hesitation, leave this place of work. No position, even the most highly paid one, is worth your health.

Why are we not birds?

Most often, the reason for pressure at work is said to be banal envy, for example, of a younger and more successful colleague. This feeling is generated by simple animal fear as one of our most powerful emotions. And in particular, teams often display a wary attitude towards those who are emphatically “not like everyone else.” That is, the same ethological “principle of the white crow”: “A stranger has crept into our flock, we don’t know what to expect from him. Therefore, attack him! And here it should certainly be noted that mobbing due to such fear does not arise in those communities that were recruited “from scratch” - there, in fact, there are still no “friends and foes”. But if the team is, as they say, stagnant, where a kind of “psychological swamp” dominates, a union of old employees against the new is very likely, as soon as this newcomer appears in this team, and with rather extraordinary behavior.

Another reason that triggers the bullying mechanism is the internal tension of the entire team, which is carefully hidden for the time being. It arises mainly due to shortcomings in the organizational structure of the enterprise: from unclear goals and strategies to unclearly defined terms of reference. Tension cannot accumulate endlessly within a team; a release is required. And as soon as one of the employees, by his behavior, appearance or something else, provokes some kind of aggression towards him, this one-time aggression, fueled by the accumulated general tension, often develops into real emotional bullying.

And finally, the cause of mobbing can be stupid idleness. When employees are busy completing the tasks assigned to them (and ideally concerned about the prospect of financial payments for this accomplishment), they do not need to waste time and energy on “psychological terror.”

How do victims of mobbing feel?

The self-awareness of a person who finds himself in such a situation and does not know how to stand up for himself is constantly under pressure and, as a result, an inferiority complex may arise if the attacks stubbornly do not stop or the person does not quit. The victim begins to feel insecurity, doubt in his strengths and abilities, and is afraid of finding himself in an unpleasant situation. It always seems to her that her colleagues and even members of her household (!) are trying to humiliate her, to prove the uselessness and uselessness of her existence. More and more often a person thinks: “There is something wrong with me that I deserve such treatment.” In addition, fear appears: “If I leave this job, I won’t be able to find another one” or “I don’t inspire sympathy from anyone.” Many victims of mobbing, who have been in a stressful situation for a long time, begin to see enemies and offenders at almost every step. And in order to protect themselves from attacks and rudeness, they themselves begin to be rude, even to people who are not involved in the bullying, thereby acquiring an increasing number of ill-wishers. All this resembles a snowball.

Prevention of mobbing

In order not to encounter a situation of bullying and bullying at school, college or the workplace, psychologists recommend adhering to certain rules of behavior:

1. Whenever possible, be polite and friendly to everyone in your organization. This does not mean that you should grovel and fawn before everyone, but maintaining a calm, neutral relationship with the team is quite possible.
2. When you join a new team, try to immediately learn its routines, traditions and customs. If possible, stick to them, unless, of course, they go against your values ​​and beliefs.
3. Don't slander behind your colleagues' backs and try not to gossip.
4. In a conflict situation, do not let yourself be offended. “Keep up your face” and don’t stoop to insults.
5. Perform your duties conscientiously, become a true professional in your field.
6. Don't curry favor with your boss, trying to gain his favor.
7. Be careful and monitor the situation in the company. This way you won't miss important changes.
8. Use the help of a psychologist to develop the right tactics in acute and conflict situations.

Advice to heads of organizations:

1. Your main task is not only to take care of the well-being of your organization, but also to maintain a healthy psychological atmosphere in it.
2. Do not insult or humiliate members of your team. Be fair, but at the same time lenient.
3. Stop any attempts to bully or harass any of your employees. Explain to bullies that such behavior is unacceptable in your organization.
4. Do not support gossip and do not take part in intrigues.
5. Try to treat all employees equally, without singling out “favorites.”

Mobbing is a fairly common phenomenon in the modern world. It is important to be able to resist it and to sense in time the line when work ceases to bring satisfaction and becomes a source of disastrous harm to health.

Bullying: what is it and how does it manifest itself?

Bullying (English bullying - to intimidate, bully) is the aggressive behavior of some team members towards others. Most often, this type of bullying occurs among children and adolescents from 10 to 18 years old. The defining features of bullying are the intentionality and regularity of the offenders’ actions, as well as the unequal distribution of power between them and the victim.

The main forms of bullying are:

• physical violence (hitting, pushing, kicking);
• verbal aggression (gossip, ridicule, criticism, insults);
• psychological bullying (intimidation, boycott);
• cyberbullying (bullying on social networks).

The problem of bullying is very acute, since any of its forms can lead to disastrous consequences. There are known cases with tragic outcomes when victims, unable to withstand such pressure, committed suicide.

As a rule, it is very difficult to avoid bullying that has started in a team. There are many roles in bullying. Three main ones:

• bullers (initiators and ideological inspirers of bullying);
• observers;
• victim.

Bullying is most common among primary and secondary school students. According to a study conducted in the 80s of the last century by Scandinavian researcher and psychologist Dan Olweus, 15% of Norwegian and Swedish schoolchildren regularly face the problem of bullying, and 32% of students have experience of bullying at school. About 9% of respondents are victims, 7% act as persecutors. In 2007, these numbers doubled.

And according to a survey conducted around the same time in the United States, 32% of American children were bullied at school. In modern Russian schools, things are even worse. According to the analysis, 52% of schoolchildren from 10 to 18 years old faced bullying at school, 32% of respondents were subjected to psychological bullying, 26.6% were subjected to physical violence.

Persecutors and victims

One of the common misconceptions about victims of bullying has long been that they can be exclusively introverted adults and children prone to anxiety and low self-esteem, less physically developed and having difficulties in learning and perceiving information. Today, statistics show that absolutely anyone can become a victim of bullying (socially active and with adequate self-esteem as well).

The victim is chosen based on the principle of “dissimilarity” from everyone else: any difference from the group can lead to aggression from the pursuers. Appearance, nationality, religion, sexual preferences, level of well-being, interests, characteristics of mental and physiological development - this is only an incomplete list of reasons why aggressors can choose a victim.

Misconceptions also affected the portrait of the pursuer. For a long time, there was an opinion among researchers on the topic of bullying that only people with low self-esteem, children from disadvantaged families who cannot control their emotions, can become aggressors. However, then it became clear that among bullies there are very often individuals with high self-esteem and high emotional intelligence, who know how to behave adequately when circumstances require it, but in the absence of the threat of punishment, they are prone to aggression.

Bullers not only have excellent control over their emotions, but also skillfully manipulate the feelings of others. Often the motives of persecutors are the thirst for power and status, moral and material satisfaction. Sometimes even the slightest reaction of approval from witnesses (a smile, laughter, verbal encouragement) can become a reward for bullies.

Bullying is possible in any group: in the classroom, school, university, at work. The latter even received the name “mobbing”. Let's take a closer look at what it is.