4 ms·

I don't think it's correct or accurate to characterize people who are dejected (among more severe things) as perpetrators, as though they were already negative

I don't think it's correct or accurate to characterize people who are dejected (among more severe things) as perpetrators, as though they were already negative personalities, or "no" people, or some other form of inconducive to a positive work environment: 1) It is entirely possible that a subset of this population organically "grew" this mentality as a result of their previous work environment. I'll admit that early in my career I in fact may have been such a person-- I came from a confrontational environment filled with vicious shouting matches complete with the most vile language you might think of. That was very much not my personality but when I moved on, though I knew that extreme was not usual, it took me a little bit to realize that even a very mild version of it wasn't the norm. (I was also massively, clinically depressed)And given my personality, I was probably a little more shy, withdrawn, that sort of thing. I can easily imagine another person emulating behavior from an awful environment that they grew to think of as the norm. And it was a positive work environment that helped me through, and become a productive group member (professionally. the depression still sucked) 2) Someone with a clinical mental disorder really shouldn't be labelled a a perpetrator. The connotation there is one of deliberate intent. And the fact that such things may go undiagnosed in the clinical sense should also be considered. None of this is intended to dispute the findings of this article. Though it's an observational study rather than one with an intervention of some sort, so a bit of caution is probably prudent, but it's also a large scale study which helps in that area. But sure, the study may even be accurate for clinical/pre-clinical people but that doesn't make them perpetrators. They should be treated as people who may simply need a little more mentorship or collegiality in order to find their place in the organization. (or encouraged to seek clinical help if that seems in order)

tsimionescu 4y ago
When the GP was talking about perpetrators, they meant "people who induce depression and anxiety in others". In the context of workplace-associated depression and anxiety, there are people whose management styles cause these problems. People who put undue pressure on others, who demean and berate etc. Now, these same people may be themselves victims of others doing the same, or they may suffer from their own mental issues, or they may be just be ruthless. But either way, the alternate hypothesis was that hiring this kind of people is more likely to be the cause of the observed effect, rather than any idea of "social contagion".

tsimionescu 4y ago

When the GP was talking about perpetrators, they meant "people who induce depression and anxiety in others". In the context of workplace-associated depression and anxiety, there are people whose management styles cause these problems. People who put undue pressure on others, who demean and berate etc. Now, these same people may be themselves victims of others doing the same, or they may suffer from their own mental issues, or they may be just be ruthless. But either way, the alternate hypothesis was that hiring this kind of people is more likely to be the cause of the observed effect, rather than any idea of "social contagion".