Items in Esource are protected by copyright. Previously published items are made available in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher/copyright holder.
The primary aim of this study was to examine the personalities of victims and non-victims of workplace bullying. Up to now research has proven inconclusive regarding the existence of a 'victim personality' with some researchers (e.g. Matthiesen & Einarsen, 2001) supporting the idea that victims have a personality profile different from non-victims, while others (e.g. Leyman, 1992) claim that personality is unrelated to bully/victim problems. 28 participants, (24 females, 4 males), drawn from a medium sized office in a large urban area completed a questionnaire examining their experiences of bullying in the workplace, the Negative Actions Questionnaire (Mikkelsen & Einarsen, 2001), and also a copy of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised - Abbreviated (Francis, Brown & Philipchalk, 1992). A number of t-tests found no significant differences (p>.05, 2-tailed) between victims and non-victims on any of the three traits measured by the EPQR-A (Extraversion, Neuroticism and Psychoticism). These results are discussed in relation to previous research. Weaknesses in the design and implications for future research are also discussed.
