Mobbing: Emotional Abuse in the American Workplace

Book Review: “MOBBING: Emotional Abuse in the American Workplace”

Introduction/Summary

Davenport, Schwartz, & Elliot (2005) stated:

This book came about because all three of us, in different organizations, experienced a workplace phenomenon that had profound effects on our well-being. Through humiliation, harassment, and unjustified accusations, we experienced emotional abuse that forced us out of the workplace. (p.14)

Noa Davenport’s expertise are in international development and peacekeeping and teaching and training conflict resolution. Ruth Schwartz’s background is a counselor and educator in the management, higher education, and the health care professions. Gail Elliott’s background is a motivational speaker, author, and human relations and training consultant. Mobbing was first published in 1999, 2002, and in 2005. It is the first book in the United States to present over twenty years of research on mobbing. Mobbing is known as a household word thorughout Europe and is intended to stimulate public awareness in America.

Davenport et al. (2005) found that “mobbing is ‘Ganging up’ by co-workers, subordinates or superiors, to force someone out of the workplace through rumor, innuendo, intimidation, humiliation, discrediting, and isolation.” They refer the term mobbing as emotional abuse in the workplace. It is of a malicious, nonsexual, nonracial, and general harassment nature. It also represents an emotional injury that impacts a person’s mental and physical health, a workplace safety, and health issue. The major themes of the book are: Understand what mobbing is, why it occurs, how it affects a victim, how organizations are impacted, and what people can do; as a victim, a family member, a friend, or a manager. The major concepts of the reading are: Identify what the issue(s) is/are, when it is happening, who is involved, why it is an issue, and how to resolve it.

Davenport et al. (2005) identified mobbing as measured stress factors or an extreme...