title: Drama at Dunder Mifflin: Workplace Bullying Discourses onThe Office.
abstract: This study examines the portrayal and affective framing of workplace bullying behaviors on the popular American television showThe Office. Quantitative and qualitative content analyses were conducted on 54 episodes spanning the show's nine seasons. Results revealed 331 instances of workplace bullying, for an average of 6.13 bullying behaviors per episode. Workplace bullying behavior onThe Officewas grouped into five categories: sexual jokes, public humiliation, practical jokes, belittlement, and misuse of authority. In general, instances of workplace bully were scripted as humorous and lacking significant consequences, which could further contribute to social discourses that perpetuate the problem of bullying in real-life workplaces.
authors.affiliation: Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Erin M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Sumner
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Scarduzio
authors.affiliation: Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Jena R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Daggett
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D058445:Bullying / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D015279:Organizational Culture; D012919:Social Behavior; D013690:Television; D014481:United States
keywords: The Office; media narratives; primetime television; workplace bullying; workplace emotional abuse