Skip to main content
Search
Search
    Quick Search anywhere
    Quick search in Citations
Advanced Search
Skip main navigationClose Drawer MenuOpen Drawer Menu
Previous article
Next article
Original Articles

Personality Profiles Among Targets and Nontargets of Workplace Bullying

Published Online:June 23, 2009https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040.14.3.231

Abstract

This study investigated personality profiles among targets and nontargets of workplace bullying. Personality was assessed by the NEO-FFI, which measures the main dimensions in accordance with the five-factor model of personality: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness. A total of 435 health care employees participated in the study, in which 42 targets of bullying were identified. A logistic regression analysis revealed significant differences between targets and nontargets of workplace bullying on just two of the Big Five dimensions, with targets scoring higher on Conscientiousness and lower on Agreeableness. Further, a cluster analysis showed no subclusters in the target sample regarding personality. The authors, therefore, consider the differences to be minimal. Hence, personality patterns do not easily differentiate targets of workplace bullying from nontargets. One-sided explanations of the bullying phenomenon, such as personality, are, therefore, likely to be inappropriate.

References

  • Agervold, M. , Mikkelsen, E.G. (2004). Relationship between bullying, psychosocial work environment, and individual stress reactions. Work and Stress, 18, 336–351. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Ashforth, B. (1994). Petty tyranny in organizations. Human Relations, 47, 755–778. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Bowling, N.A. , Beehr, T.A. (2006). Workplace harassment from the victim’s perspective: A theoretical model and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 998–1012. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Brodsky, C.M. (1976). The harassed worker. London: Routledge. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Byrne, B.J. (1994). Bullies and victims in a school setting with reference to some Dublin schools. Irish Journal of Psychology, 15, 574–586. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Costa, P.T. , McCrae, R.R. (1992). NEO-PI-R professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Coyne, I. , Chong, P.S.-L. , Seigne, E. , & Randall, P. (2003). Self and peer nominations of bullying: An analysis of incident rates, individual differences, and perceptions of the working environment. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 12, 209–228. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Coyne, I. , Seigne, E. , & Randall, P. (2000). Predicting workplace victim status from personality. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 9, 335–349. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Einarsen, S. , Hoel, H. , Zapf, D. , Cooper, G.L. (2003). Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace. International perspectives in research and practice. London: Taylor & Francis. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Einarsen, S. , Mikkelsen, E.G. (2003). Individual effects of exposure to bullying at work. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, C.L. Cooper, (Eds.), Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace. International perspectives in research and practice. London: Taylor & Francis. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Einarsen, S. , Raknes, B.I. (1997). Harassment at work and the victimization of men. Violence and Victims, 12, 247–263. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Einarsen, S. , Raknes, B.I. , Matthiesen, S.B. (1994). Bullying and harassment at work and their relationship to work environment quality: An exploratory study. European Work and Organizational Psychologist, 4, 381–401. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Einarsen, S. , Raknes, B.I. , Matthiesen, S.B. , Hellesøy, O.H. (1994). Mobbing og Harde Personkonflikter. Helsefarlig samspill på arbeidsplassen [Bullying and tough interpersonal conflicts. Health injurious interaction at the workplace]. Bergen: Sigma Forlag. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Einarsen, S. , Skogstad, A. (1996). Prevalence and risk groups of bullying and harassment at work. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5, 185–202. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Forsyth, D.R. (2006). Group dynamics (4th ed.) Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Glasø, L. , Matthiesen, S.B. , Nielsen, M.B. , Einarsen, S. (2007). Do targets of workplace bullying portray a general victim personality profile?. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 48, 313–319. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Goldberg, L.R. (1999). A broad-bandwidth, public-domain, personality inventory measuring the lower-level facets of several five-factor models. In I. Mervielde, I. Deary, F. De Fruyt, F. Ostendorf, (Eds.), Personality psychology in Europe (pp. 7–28). Tilburg, The Netherlands: Tilburg University Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Havik, O. (1993). Klinisk bruk av MMPI/MMPI-2 [Clinical use of MMPI/MMPI-2]. Oslo: TANO Forlag. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Janssen, I. , Craig, W.M. , Boyce, W.F. , & Pickett, W. (2004). Associations between overweight and obesity with bullying behaviors in school-aged children. Pediatrics, 113, 1187–1194. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Keashly, L. (1998). Emotional abuse in the workplace: Conceptual and empirical issues. Journal of Emotional Abuse, 1, 85–117. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Leymann, H. (1990). Mobbing and psychological terror at workplaces. Violence and Victims, 5, 119–126. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Leymann, H. (1996). The content and development of mobbing at work. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5, 165–184. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Leymann, H. , Gustafsson, A. (1996). Mobbing at work and the development of posttraumatic stress disorders. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5, 251–276. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Martinsen, Ø. L. , Nordvik, H. , Østbø, L.E. (2005). Norske versjoner av NEO PI-R og NEO FFI [Norwegian versions of NEO-PI-R and NEO FFI]. Tidsskrift for Norsk Psykologforening, 42, 421–423. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Matthiesen, S.B. , Einarsen, S. (2001). MMPI-2 configurations among victims of bullying at work. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 10, 467–484. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Mynard, H. , & Joseph, S. (1997). Bully/ victim problems and their association with Eysenck’s personality dimensions in 8- to 13-year-olds. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 67, 51–54. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Neumann, J.H. , Baron, R.A. (2003). Social antecedents of bullying. A social interactionist perspective. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, C.L. Cooper, (Eds.), Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace. International perspectives in research and practice. London: Taylor & Francis. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Nielsen, M.B. , Einarsen, S. (in press). Sampling in research on interpersonal aggression. Aggressive Behavior. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Nielsen, M.B. , Matthiesen, S.B. , Einarsen, S. (2005). Ledelse og personkonflikter: Symptomer på posttraumatisk stress blant ofre for mobbing av ledere [Leadership and personalized conflicts: Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Syndrome among targets of leadership bullying]. Nordisk Psykologi, 57, 391–415. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • O’Moore, A.M. , Seigne, E. , McGuire, L. , Smith, M. (1998a). Victims of bullying at work in Ireland. Irish Journal of Psychology, 19, 345–357. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • O’Moore, A.M. , Seigne, E. , McGuire, L. , Smith, M. (1998b). Victims of bullying at work in Ireland. Journal of Occupational Health and Safety – Australia and New Zealand, 14, 569–574. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Olweus, D. (2003). Bully/victim problems in school: Basic facts and an effective intervention program. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, C.L. Cooper, (Eds.), Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace. International perspectives in research and practice. London: Taylor & Francis. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Pervin, L.A. , Cervone, D. , Oliver, P.J. (2005). Personality. Theory and research (9th ed.). Danvers: Wiley, Inc. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Podsakoff, P.M. , MacKenzie, S.B. , Lee, J.Y. , Podsakoff, N. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 879–903. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Randall, P.E. (1997). Adult bullying: Perpetrators and victims. London: Routledge. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Randall, P.E. (2001). Bullying in adulthood. Assessing the bullies and their victims. New York: Taylor & Francis. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Rayner, C. , Hoel, H. , & Cooper, C.L. (2002). Workplace bullying. What we know, who is to blame, and what can we do? London: Taylor & Francis. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Schwartz, D. , Dodge, K.A. , Coie, J.D. (1993). The emergence of chronic peer victimization in boys’ play groups. Child development, 64, 1755–1772. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Skogstad, A. , Matthiesen, S.B. , Einarsen, S. (2007). Organizational changes: A precursor of bullying at work?. International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior, 10(1), 58–94. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Slee, P.T. , & Rigby, K. (1993). The relationship of Eysenck’s personality factors and self-esteem to bully-victim behavior in Australian schoolboys. Personality and Individual Differences, 14, 371–373. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Vartia, M. (1996). The source of bullying – Psychological work environment and organizational climate. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5(2), 203–214. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Zapf, D. (1999). Organizational, work group related, and personal causes of mobbing/bullying at work. International Journal of Manpower, 20(1/2), 70–85. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Zapf, D. , & Einarsen, S. (2003). Individual antecedents of bullying. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, C.L. Cooper, (Eds.), Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace. International perspectives in research and practice. London: Taylor & Francis. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Zapf, D. , Einarsen, S. , Hoel, H. , Vartia, M. (2003). Empirical findings on bullying in the workplace. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, C.L. Cooper, (Eds.), Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace. International perspectives in research and practice. London: Taylor & Francis. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar