Summary

Over the last decade or so research into bullying, emotional abuse and harassment at work, as distinct from harassment based on sex or race and primarily of a non-physical nature, has emerged as a new field of study. Two main academic streams have emerged: a European tradition applying the concept of 'mobbing' or 'bullying' and the American tradition, primarily identified through concepts such as emotional abuse and mistreatment. One focuses on the perpetrator, the other on the victim. In addition, research in this field has also started in Australia and South Africa. All are brought together in this work, in a synthesis of research and analysis of practice in the field. Bullying and Emotional Abuse in the Workplace aims to document the existence and consequences of the problem of bullying, to explore its causes and to investigate the effectiveness of approaches aimed at mitigating and managing the problem, as well as to offer suggestions for further progress in this important new field.