Bullying and mobbing: two sides of the same coin

What do bullying between children and bullying between adults have in common?

Let's say we go to a bar and someone there does not treat us as we deserve.

We have two ways out. On the one hand, we can confront the person, or we can ignore him or her and leave. After all, is it really worth confronting someone over a trifle when it's easier to never go back to that bar again?

But what about at work or at school? It's not so easy to change schools or jobs, at least not in the short term. If someone treats us incorrectly, we have no choice but to meet that person again the next day.. We will almost certainly go through the same thing over and over again until we take action.

This is one of the most pernicious effects of bullying at school and at work. The victim feels cornered, as if he/she has no way out.The victim feels cornered, as if he/she has no escape, since everything happens in a place where he/she has to concur with the victimizer.

Similarities between bullying at school and bullying at work.

The harasser of children in the school and the one of adults in the work present common traits. Both exercise violence in the same way and for very similar reasons. They are deliberate and continuous behaviors of mistreatment, and consist of harassing the victim in order to push him/her into a corner.

In general, the acts that are carried out are of great cruelty. It is always exercised from the strong to the weak in bullying, and from the boss to the subordinate in mobbing. That is to say, it involves a marked character of power.

The person who is the target of such attacks ends up feeling cornered when others join in against him. He isolates himself to the point of excluding himself from the rest.. This situation of grief affects the victim to such an extent that, in extreme cases, it leads not only to social death, but also to physical death.

Individuals who suffer these realities sometimes come to think that they have no other way out of the situation they suffer. For this reason they opt for this drastic but liberating solution. In any case, it is normal that the minor ends up changing school, and the adult changes jobs.

What is the difference between bullying and mobbing?

Yes, in general, bullying involves some physical violence, harassment in the workplace is presented in a very sibylline manner.. It tends to be more psychological harassment. In other words, while bullying of children leaves traces, bullying of adults at work is much more difficult to identify.

On the other hand, there is a greater awareness in the case of children.. Many high schools and colleges have been developing protocols to support victims, so that children themselves can raise the alarm when they detect such behavior against other students.

On the other hand, an employee may feel more alone in the face of mobbing, since he/she does not know or have anyone at hand to protect him/herself. As a result, the feeling of being cornered is often stronger.

As for children or adolescents, bullying can have consequences for the rest of their lives. As they grow up, they may develop antisocial behaviors of self-exclusion or even develop violent attitudes.. That is why it becomes preeminent to treat a victim of bullying with professional help, even after the threats have disappeared.

An adult, on the other hand, recovers more easily from the trauma suffered, especially if it has not extended over a long period of time. If you have been a victim, and you feel that the after-effects still linger, contact a professional.

Why are cases on the rise?

First of all, both school and workplace bullying has been deliberately covered up by companies and educational institutions that have falsified data on real bullying. on actual bullying. As a result, fatal events have occurred that have served as an eye-opener to this heartbreaking reality.

More accurate studies are now beginning to be carried out by independent professionals that show the real figures for bullying in the two areas in question.

On the other hand, denial of the facts has only led to an increase in the occurrences, since the perpetrator has been feeling unpunished for his actions..

One of the most chilling facts is that during times of economic crisis both mobbing and bullying tend to increase. Apart from this, increased awareness has resulted in the bully carrying out his or her misdeeds more subtly and with less intensity. For example, denying greetings, turning away or isolating the victim, among other things. These attitudes are becoming more and more difficult to detect, but their effects are notbut their effects are no less devastating.

Another negative effect of increased awareness is what is called bottom-up bullying. For example, the student who claims to feel harassed by a teacher and carries out a smear campaign without any proof. without any proof. Or when a group of employees conspires against a company manager, accusing him or her of any act that destroys his or her reputation.

Trivialization is an extremely worrying fact, because it always ends up benefiting the actual harasser. That is why it is is advisable to have an expert capable of evaluating the cases with concrete and reliable facts, not only by means of a public complaint.

How is the matter resolved?

On the one hand, rapid detection and the existence of a protocol are two of the most effective tools to nip this problem in the bud. In the same way, the negative consequence for the perpetrator of such an act can prevent more victims from appearing. The lack of impunity is the best deterrent for would-be stalkers who want to run wild.

As for cases that have not been detected in time, our recommendation is that that the victim seek professional help. No matter how guilty she may feel, she should take the step to therapy to get herself together after such a hostile event.