Abstract:

Workplace bullying is a serious problem affecting the victims, the witnesses of bullying, and the organization as well. It has a negative impact on the work climate and decreases the work motivation, morality, and the relationship between the co-workers. Several studies have already shown the consequences of long-time bullying on the victim’s mental health. However, not many studies have examined the personality of the victims of bullying at work. The aim of this study is to examine differences in personality between a group of bullied victims and a non-bullied group among elementary and high school teachers. To obtain the data the standarized questionnaires were used: NEO- Big Five Inventory was used to measure the personality traits among teachers. The Negative Acts Questionnaire- Revised form (NAQ-R) was used to measure bullying in the workplace. The research sample consisted of 549 elementary and high school teachers in the Czech Republic. The results of the survey point to the fact that there is a positive correlation between workplace bullying and neuroticism and a significant negative correlation between workplace bullying, extraversion, and agreeableness. Victims tended to be more neurotic and less agreeable, conscientious and extravert than non-victims. Victims scored higher than non-victims on emotional instability, indicating that personality should not be neglected as being a factor in understanding the bullying phenomenon.

Keywords:

Workplace bullying, personality traits, teachers.