The bullying of academics follows a pattern of horrendous, Orwellian elimination rituals, often hidden from the public. Despite the anti-bullying policies (often token), bullying is rife across campuses, and the victims (targets) often pay a heavy price.
"Nothing strengthens authority as much as silence." Leonardo da Vinci - "All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men [or good women] do nothing." -- Edmund Burke
Also excellent analysis of the forms of bullying and the stats....
.... patronising language - YES YES YES... the words... the body language.... the tone of voice.... they offered to take me to the doctor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In 2005, psychologists Belinda Board and Katarina Fritzon at the University of Surrey, UK, interviewed and gave personality tests to high-level British executives and compared their profiles with those of criminal psychiatric patients at Broadmoor Hospital in the UK. They found that three out of eleven personality disorders were actually more common in managers than in the disturbed criminals, they were:
Histrionic personality disorder: including superficial charm, insincerity, egocentricity and manipulation Narcissistic personality disorder: including grandiosity, self-focused lack of empathy for others, exploitativeness and independence. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: including perfectionism, excessive devotion to work, rigidity, stubbornness and dictatorial tendencies.
They described the business people as successful psychopaths and the criminals as unsuccessful psychopaths.
Robert Hare and Paul Babiak discuss psychopathy and workplace bullying thus:
“Bullies react aggressively in response to provocation or perceived insults or slights. It is unclear whether their acts of bullying give them pleasure or are just the most effective way they have learned to get what they want from others. Similar to manipulators, however, psychopathic bullies do not feel remorse, guilt or empathy. They lack insight into their own behaviour, and seem unwilling or unable to moderate it, even when it is to their own advantage. Not being able to understand the harm they do to themselves (let alone their victims), psychopathic bullies are particularly dangerous.”
“Of course, not all bullies are psychopathic, though this may be of little concern to their victims. Bullies come in many psychological and physical sizes and shapes. In many cases, “garden variety” bullies have deep seated psychological problems, including feelings of inferiority or inadequacy and difficulty in relating to others.
Some may simply have learned at an early stage that their size, strength, or verbal talent was the only effective tool they had for social behaviour. Some of these individuals may be context-specific bullies, behaving badly at work but more or less normally in other contexts. But the psychopathic bully is what he is: a callous, vindictive, controlling individual with little or no empathy or concern for the rights and feelings of the victim, no matter what the context.”
I see that Times Higher Education is finally tackling the issue head on, they've got a rather interesting blog going that is apparently written by a bullied academic: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=404992&c=1
4 comments:
Excellent that these surveys continue to be carried out and that they are being brought to public attention in the press.
The public urgently need to know what is happening in their universities that are funded with their taxes.
This is particularly important when universities are currently self governing.
Let's have more surveys and more support from the media in informing the public.
In solidarity
Aphra Behn
Also excellent analysis of the forms of bullying and the stats....
.... patronising language - YES YES YES... the words... the body language.... the tone of voice.... they offered to take me to the doctor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aphra Behn
Wiki... on wpb...
In 2005, psychologists Belinda Board and Katarina Fritzon at the University of Surrey, UK, interviewed and gave personality tests to high-level British executives and compared their profiles with those of criminal psychiatric patients at Broadmoor Hospital in the UK. They found that three out of eleven personality disorders were actually more common in managers than in the disturbed criminals, they were:
Histrionic personality disorder: including superficial charm, insincerity, egocentricity and manipulation
Narcissistic personality disorder: including grandiosity, self-focused lack of empathy for others, exploitativeness and independence.
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: including perfectionism, excessive devotion to work, rigidity, stubbornness and dictatorial tendencies.
They described the business people as successful psychopaths and the criminals as unsuccessful psychopaths.
Robert Hare and Paul Babiak discuss psychopathy and workplace bullying thus:
“Bullies react aggressively in response to provocation or perceived insults or slights. It is unclear whether their acts of bullying give them pleasure or are just the most effective way they have learned to get what they want from others. Similar to manipulators, however, psychopathic bullies do not feel remorse, guilt or empathy. They lack insight into their own behaviour, and seem unwilling or unable to moderate it, even when it is to their own advantage. Not being able to understand the harm they do to themselves (let alone their victims), psychopathic bullies are particularly dangerous.”
“Of course, not all bullies are psychopathic, though this may be of little concern to their victims. Bullies come in many psychological and physical sizes and shapes. In many cases, “garden variety” bullies have deep seated psychological problems, including feelings of inferiority or inadequacy and difficulty in relating to others.
Some may simply have learned at an early stage that their size, strength, or verbal talent was the only effective tool they had for social behaviour. Some of these individuals may be context-specific bullies, behaving badly at work but more or less normally in other contexts. But the psychopathic bully is what he is: a callous, vindictive, controlling individual with little or no empathy or concern for the rights and feelings of the victim, no matter what the context.”
Say no to bullying....
NOW
Aphra Behn
I see that Times Higher Education is finally tackling the issue head on, they've got a rather interesting blog going that is apparently written by a bullied academic:
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=404992&c=1
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