In Camouflaged Aggression in Organizations, Alexander Abdennur unveils his theory of two modes of aggression in organizations: confrontational and camouflaged. Focusing on camouflaged aggression, he describes patterns of behaviour and shows how these intersect with personality and sociocultural factors. He defines the effects of non-confrontational aggression in terms of organizational and mental health. In discussing prevention and control of this harmful behaviour, Abdennur recommends a cognitive approach to manage workplace hostility in businesses, the public sector, and not-for-profit organizations. Professionals, professors, and students of psychology, organizational behaviour, and criminology will find this a necessary and insightful resource.
This book deals with the identification and control of camouflaged aggression is all organizations, from small businesses to multinational corporations and governments. Here there are descriptions of patterns of camouflaged aggression within the workplace, such as time and information manipulation, withdrawal, inaccessibility, entrapement and undermining the sense of security. The author analyzes the impact of this non-violent aggression on mental health and on productivity, and its possible function in explosive violence and random mass murder. The final chapter suggests strategies for the identification, prevention and management of camouflaged aggression in the workplace.
Anger in the Workplace explores what it means to feel angry at work. Anger has its origins in anxiety that arises from feeling frustrated, humiliated, or threatened at work. Anxiety creates a biological and psychological readiness to act which is guided by whether it is acceptable to feel angry at work. Employees are more likely to act responsibly if they feel that their anger is acceptable. They may also act in ways that are destructive to self, others, and the workplace if they feel that being angry is not acceptable. Managing the development of anger and its expression in the workplace is an important aspect in designing a better workplace. The book defines anger and aggression by synthesizing biological, psychological, and social perspectives. The social acceptability of anger and the fear that it interferes with judgment and results in aggression are discussed, as are sex and gender-based differences in the experience of and expression of anger and aggression. Learning to cope with anger and the importance of owning one's anger, thinking it through, and acting upon it constructively are also discussed. Depending how anger is acted out, it can be the source of major contributions to innovation and productivity or a major blocker of change and work. The book explores how the workplace is a contributor to feeling angry because it promotes feelings of helplessness, alienation, and worthlessness. Hierarchical organization, power and authority relations, and leadership styles contribute to the development of these feelings. Desire for attachment and the fear of abandonment and desire for autonomy and fear of engulfment in the workplace must be managed to avoid anger. The book concludesby reviewing the relationship between anger and organizational dynamics.
