title: Workplace mobbing: How the victim's coping behavior influences bystander responses.
abstract: Victims of workplace mobbing show diverse coping behavior. We investigated the impact of this behavior on bystander cognitions, emotions, and helping toward the victim, integrating coping literature with attribution theory. Adult part-time university students (N = 161) working at various organizations participated in a study with a 3(Coping: approach/avoidance/neutral) × 2(Gender Victim: male/female) × 2(Gender Bystander: male/female) design. Victims showing approach (vs. avoidance) coping were considered to be more self-reliant and less responsible for the continuation of the mobbing, and they elicited less anger. Continuation responsibility and self-reliance mediated the relationship between the victim's coping behavior and bystanders' helping intentions. Female (vs. male) participants reported more sympathy for the victim and greater willingness to help, and female (vs. male) victims elicited less anger. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: a Open University.
authors.forename: Roelie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mulder
authors.affiliation: a Open University.
authors.forename: Arjan E R
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Bos
authors.affiliation: a Open University.
authors.forename: Mieneke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pouwelse
authors.affiliation: a Open University.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: van Dam
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D058445:Bullying; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012919:Social Behavior; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Bystander behavior; continuation responsibility; victim’s coping behavior; workplace mobbing