This book is about mobbing—a form of interpersonal abuse that occurs in all of the major institutions and organizations of human life—school, work, religious organizations, the legal system, and in communities where people live, such as condominium and homeowners’ associations. Mobbing casts its victims in a negative light to either force them out of the organization or to render them as suspect and unworthy while remaining within the organization. Mobbing is not the same as bullying, in that it involves the interaction of individual, group, and organizational dynamics. The book provides a cog ... More

This book is about mobbing—a form of interpersonal abuse that occurs in all of the major institutions and organizations of human life—school, work, religious organizations, the legal system, and in communities where people live, such as condominium and homeowners’ associations. Mobbing casts its victims in a negative light to either force them out of the organization or to render them as suspect and unworthy while remaining within the organization. Mobbing is not the same as bullying, in that it involves the interaction of individual, group, and organizational dynamics. The book provides a cogent analysis, drawing from research beginning in the 1970s, of what mobbing is, its destructive consequences, and strategies for individual and organizational recovery and prevention. The book is divided into four parts. Part I introduces the process of mobbing and the development of mobbing research and provides an overview of mobbing within workplaces, schools, and other organizations together with case exemplars, illustrations, and discussions outlining how to recognize it. Part II examines how mobbing develops and looks at the organizational context, organizational dynamics, group dynamics, individual behavior, and the interrelationship among these factors to provide an explanatory framework. Part III discusses the significant negative consequences of mobbing in terms of its damaging effects on physical and psychological health, and its harmful impact on family and social relationships and work performance. Part IV examines how individuals and organizations recover from mobbing and what measures at the organizational and legislative levels are effective in reducing and preventing mobbing.