Bullying Of Educators By Educators: Incivility In Higher Education

Abstract

Bullying of adults by adults appears to be a common experience in work, social, and even family life. Yet, historically, there has been limited empirical research on the nature of this prevalent and aberrant interpersonal style among personnel in higher education. This article presents a review of studies that reflect key issues on bullying and incivility of/by administrators, faculty, and staff in college and university settings. There is strong empirical evidence that depicts the adult bully as harboring pervasive psychopathological tendencies such as narcissism and Machiavellianism, with a propensity for exhibiting abusive, controlling, callous, condescending, domineering, coercive, and self-centered behaviors (see Piotrowski, 2015). Several hypothetical case vignettes of incivility/bullying incidents specific to the academe are offered to illustrate these tendencies, along with strategies to recognize, manage, and combat ‘bullying’ styles in interpersonal interactions in college/university settings. Official policy should designate higher education settings as a ‘No Bully Zone’.