Psychological Abuse At The Workplace

A COCKTAIL OF CRITICAL ELEMENTS

Abuse in the workplace is nothing new.  It has probably been going on since one human being started working for another.  However we have moved forward in what we will tolerate as acceptable behaviour and abuse in the workplace should be no more tolerable or legitimate than any other form of abuse in society.

Child abuse, spouse abuse, and elder abuse are now out in the open, recognised as a problem that exists within out society.  Laws are being put in place to protect the targets of this form of abuse.  Support groups help the targets regain their identity and put the abuse they have suffered into perspective.  In the workplace too, legislation ensures that physical abuse and sexual harassment are viewed as unacceptable behaviour, and perpetrators of this type of abuse can face legal action.  Yet, abuse of individuals in the workplace continues unchallenged, often dismissed as inevitable, in the world of corporate affairs and workplace politics.

This article discusses the complex interplay of elements that come into being when psychological abuse is sustained in an organisation.  Its subtlety is insidious; people perpetrating this abuse are masters at disguising their negative actions, and the effect on the target is difficult to isolate and link directly with the negative actions.  Often the initial working relationship includes positive actions of acceptance, praise and welcome and then later the negative actions are interspersed with praise, particularly in public.  Furthermore, those inflicting the damage do not see their behaviour as wrong or unjust because they justify their actions as being for the good of the organisation.  This form of abuse systematically undermines self-esteem and destroys self-confidence.  Targets being to doubt their own judgement and develop a skewed perception of reality.

Psychological abuse in the workplace cannot be sustained in a vacuum.  Nor can it exist without support from the organisation.  If an organisation does not condone psychological abuse, it will quickly be quashed by the stakeholders at every level of the organisation.  Even though an organisation might claim it does not condone psychological abuse, perpetrators will ply their abusive skills if management chooses to ignore the abusive behaviour, trivialise claims of psychological abuse or put reporting procedures in place that deter from making complaints.  For some the task of following the drawn out complicated, time consuming process of filing a formal complaint only to have it dismissed for lack of tangible evidence sends them further into the depths of despair and self-doubt.  As a side effect of a negative outcome, the abuser’s actions are legitimised and supported.

Hence, psychological abuse in the workplace is a phenomenon that comes into play when an unhealthy cocktail of elements are allowed to mix in the workplace.  These elements include the traditions of the work, the culture of the organisation, the beliefs of the management, workplace procedures, the presence of a person inclined to psychologically abuse, the presence of a person susceptible to psychological abuse, and the experiences of the supervisors and co-workers.

Diagram
(word document) 
(pdf document)  

Reproduced with the express permission of Robyn Mann (2000).

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