ABSTRACT

While most of the workplace bullying research has focused on targets and the devastating consequences they face from being exposed to such negative behaviour, bullying does not occur in a social vacuum. Previous research has suggested that people who are exposed to bullying sometimes engage in such behaviour themselves. In this paper, we wanted to test the reciprocal nature of bullying behaviour over time and potential moderators of this relationship in two studies. In Study 1, using two-wave full panel data, we test whether bullying exposure predicts bullying enactment and vice versa. In Study 2, using another two-wave dataset, we test whether individual coping styles moderate the relationship between bullying exposure and enactment. The results of the two studies provide support for the reciprocal nature of bullying behaviour and show that employees who tend to cope actively and instrumentally with being exposed to bullying have a higher chance of engaging in bullying. The reverse holds for people who tend to cope by disengaging and talking to others. This study has important implications for both the bullying literature and for practitioners working on bullying prevention and resolution.

摘要

虽然大多数工作场所欺凌研究都集中在目标以及他们因暴露于此类负面行为而面临的破坏性后果上，但欺凌不会发生在社会真空中。先前的研究表明，遭受欺凌的人有时自己也会做出这种行为。在本文中，我们想在两项研究中测试欺凌行为随时间推移的互惠性质以及这种关系的潜在调节因素。在研究 1 中，使用两波全面板数据，我们测试欺凌暴露是否可以预测欺凌行为，反之亦然。在研究 2 中，使用另一个两波数据集，我们测试个人应对方式是否会调节欺凌暴露与制定之间的关系。这两项研究的结果为欺凌行为的互惠性质提供了支持，并表明倾向于积极和工具性地应对欺凌的员工有更高的机会参与欺凌。对于那些倾向于通过脱离接触和与他人交谈来应对的人来说，情况正好相反。这项研究对欺凌文献和从事欺凌预防和解决工作的从业者都有重要意义。