A 'victim personality' : a comparison of victims of workplace bullying and non-victims on the EPQR-A

Authors

Fitzpatrick, Gavin

Issue Date

2005

Degree

BA in Psychology

Publisher

Dublin Business School

Rights

Items in Esource are protected by copyright. Previously published items are made available in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher/copyright holder.

Abstract

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.

Collections