Am I my own worst enemy?

Purpose - This study aims to compare the experiences of workers who perceive themselves as both targets and aggressors (aggressor-targets) with the experiences of other workers.Design methodology approach - The paper reports on the results of a cross-sectional self-report questionnaire-based study (...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCareer development international Vol. 17; no. 4; pp. 358 - 374
Main Authors Brotheridge, Céleste M., Lee, Raymond T., Power, Jacqueline L.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Bradford Emerald Group Publishing Limited 10.08.2012
Subjects
Aggression
Aggressiveness
Anger
Behavior
Behavior Problems
Bullying
Coping
Depleted Resources
Drug Use
Employees
Health Behavior
Hostility
Obesity
Physical Health
Psychological Patterns
Researchers
Self esteem
Studies
Union Members
Victims
Bullying
Individual behaviour
Personal health
Employees behaviour
Employees
Workplace
Group dynamics
Stress
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Summary:Purpose - This study aims to compare the experiences of workers who perceive themselves as both targets and aggressors (aggressor-targets) with the experiences of other workers.Design methodology approach - The paper reports on the results of a cross-sectional self-report questionnaire-based study (n=180).Findings - Aggressor-targets reported performing more aggressive behaviors than did pure bullies. They also engaged in multiple types of coping strategies, but did so ineffectively as evidenced by their high levels of negative health outcomes.Practical implications - It is possible that aggressor-targets employed many coping behaviors as a means of dealing with their situation, but they had some difficulty doing so without assistance. Consequently, aggressor-targets may be open to intervention efforts. Since this group constitutes the largest percentage of bullies and was responsible for most of the reported bullying acts, examining their experiences may help organizations reduce the overall incidence of bullying.Originality value - This exploratory study contributes to the small number of studies that have examined the situation of bullying targets who have also engaged in aggression in the workplace.
ISSN:1362-0436
1758-6003
DOI:10.1108/13620431211255833