MOBBING: Mental and sexual abuse in the workplace (and the consequences of personal attacks)

Danijela Stojanovićclinical psychologist and psychotherapist, PS Kontrapunkt

Demonstration of power over the weak or subjugated, which lies at the basis of mobbing, is an expression of individual powerlessness.

Showing prepotency is often evidence of impotence in some area of ​​life, which of course does not give a person with that type of problem the right to live over others.

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The term mobbing has been used in our practice for not so long, and we could say that it is a relatively young term. However, the essence of the relationship is known from before, while the consequences of bullying have multi-layered and far-reaching consequences.

If a mober, an individual, were to be profiled, it is clear that his behavior contains components of unhealthy or even pathogenic expression of his personality during communication.

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Only frustrated people, who lack self-confidence in some sphere of life, can raise their ego on the basis of other people’s suffering. The victim is not necessarily weak, uneducated or in any way inferior to the mobber, it is often the other way around.

The psychological consequences of mobbing are manifested through certain symptoms – usually they are fears, tension, insomnia or heart palpitations.

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When it is determined by a medical examination that they are physically healthy, victims of mobbing usually think that something is wrong with them. They do not associate this with the intimidating behavior of individuals, which creates tension among employees.

On the other hand, it opens up the possibility for people who are often characterized as “capable” to build authority by using wrong methods, hiding their flaws. One of the frequently used means is blackmail and intimidation, which keeps the victim in suspense.

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Constant pressure leads to prolonged stress, without the possibility to release it in the right way.

The consequences of psychological abuse often penetrate deeper into the social structure of society. Nervousness is felt and suffered primarily by family and closest friends.

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The most important, but often also the most difficult thing is to create a balance in the relationship between business and private or intimate life. If mobbing is recognized, it is necessary to create a kind of mental shield and not allow yourself to be drawn into a system of unhealthy relationships.

Any reaction to provocation, which leads to the deepening of the conflict, is a sign of agreeing to the imposed rules of the game, which is led by the one who draws us into that relationship. When we accept that a person consciously, which means with a specific goal, terrorizes others, we can defend ourselves more easily.

The word mobbing (English mobbing) literally means “mob, excavate, attack in a crowd, lynch”.

It was used for the first time when describing the behavior of animals in relation to an individual that they want to exclude from the herd or kill. Modern business trends, especially in countries in transition, have contributed to the fact that since the 90s of the last century, this term has been used to describe interpersonal relationships at the workplace.

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Psychological abuse is difficult to prove because of the subtlety of the methods by which it is carried out.

The most common ways are criticizing, insulting, ignoring or baseless gossip. The biggest problem is that the mobster, the person who carries out the terror, usually does it with a conscious intention. Unequal, systematically conducted struggle, most often ends with the defeat of the victim, who is forced to leave the workplace.

As for the psychological side of this problem, what can be done is to work on preserving general mental health, to strengthen stress tolerance, to learn about ways to overcome the psychological consequences of mobbing, such as anxiety, depression, psychosomatic complaints.

Source: www.sitoireseto.com