An Introduction to the Social Psychology of Insults in Organizations

Abstract

The author argues that insults are an importantsocial and organizational phenomenon, which causespowerful emotions and enters people's personalhistories. It is suggested that insults involve aperpetrator, a target and, often, an audience. The intentionto insult is not necessary, as some insults are theresult of misunderstanding or accident. However, theexperience of being gratuitously offended and the corresponding feelings of shame, guilt, andanger are fundamental to insults. Several types ofinsults are observed, such as exclusion, stereotyping,obliteration of significant identity details,ingratitude, scapegoating, rudeness, broken promises, beingignored or kept waiting. Even more potent insults resultfrom the defamation or despoiling of idealized objects,persons, or ideas. Different insult dynamics are noted; these include an apology, acommensurate retaliation, a disproportionate retaliationand possible escalation, a retaliation against asurrogate and weaker target than the perpetrator of theinitial insult, an affected indifference with apossible delayed retaliation, or more commonly aresigned tolerance which may fuel subsequent insults.Insults as well as retaliation and resistance to themare part of an organization's political process whichestablishes, first, lines of domination/subordination,second, finer gradations of status and power, i.e., apecking order, and third, opportunities for building coalitions and alliances. It is argued thatinsults allow for a certain mobility within a peckingorder, by offering 'matches' for contestants to pitchtheir wit, venom, and courage against each other. They also enable audiences to take sides, thusinfluencing and testing the operation of coalitions andalliances.