Adult Bullying – A serious agenda
As many of my clients have experienced bullying/harassment in the workplace, I will write on this topic in ‘The Adult Bully Series’. A lot of the time whilst being bullied we faze out, loose our confidence, live in our mind wondering what we did to create this.
As someone who has experienced bullying in my own life, I can now recognize it more easily, however it doesn’t mean I have yet learnt the coping mechanisms for it … I’m still learning.
The Adult bully is a serious problem and is often undetected amongst adults. We tend to consider bullying a childhood issue, however age is not an indicator.
Sadly enough, adult bullying comes from people that generally were bullies as children (and never matured beyond that) or they were victims of bullying as children, often turning to this destructive pattern as a defense mechanism.
Let’s briefly explore how these bullying behaviors are commonly displayed among adults, otherwise known as, Adult Bullying which you might recognise in the people around you today.
Do you recognise any of these in your work relationships, colleagues, friends or family?
- Impulsive: Spontaneous and incapable of restraining himself/herself in times of stress. Expressing thoughts/emotions to a individual who may not be even related to the stress. The behavior can be unintentional, but no less painful for the victim,
- Narcissistic: Appears to have great level of self-esteem however is the opposite and brings others down to build up himself/herself. They inhibited the communication because of self-centeredness and authoritarianism.
- Physical: Using physical presence to intimidate another.
- Secondary: Person who joins the bully, wanting only to find safety alongside the bully.
- Verbal: Humiliating, Slander, Rumors, Sarcasm. This can lead to psychological damage and severe depression, with the victim feeling helpless, hopeless and unable to cope with life.
Well, did you recognise someone with some of these characteristics?
I would love to hear from others and how they overcame a bully in their lifetime, even if it was when you were a kid. Also I would equal love to hear from anyone who has realised they are going through a difficult time at the moment with a bully and are determine to change the situation.
Look out for the next instalment of ‘The Adult Bully’ coming soon.
Kindly,
Brenda
