The Influence of Personality on Workplace Bullying and Discrimination

This study explored the similarity of underlying personality traits of workplace bullying and discrimination. University students self‐reported the frequency of bullying others in the workplace and discriminating against African Americans, homosexuals, and the obese. They completed questionnaires measuring prejudice and personality traits. The major findings were that social dominance orientation, low social desirability scores, and being male affected bullying and discrimination. Perspective taking affected bullying; and right‐wing authoritarianism, anxiety, and being White affected discrimination. Prejudice influenced relations between personality and discrimination, but not bullying. It was concluded that despite strong behavioral similarities, bullying and discrimination have somewhat different underlying determinants. Certain traits make them distinct, increasing the likelihood of one choosing either a prejudice‐based target or a non‐prejudice‐based target.