Sociology of Workplace Bullying (Mobbing): An Analysis of Structures and Relationships within the Work Environment

Abstract

This study falls within theoretical-analytical research of a critical sociological nature. It aims to deconstruct the phenomenon of workplace bullying (mobbing) within the work environment through a structural symbolic approach that goes beyond individualistic psychological and managerial explanations. The study adopts a critical analytical method, supported by a comparative theoretical approach, to analyze and comment on both classical and contemporary sociological frameworks explaining the phenomenon, with a focus on concepts such as power, symbolic violence, organizational culture, and social control.

The study is grounded in a critical sociological perspective, drawing on conflict theory to analyze relations of domination within organizations, as well as Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic violence and Michel Foucault’s analyses of power and institutional control. The findings highlight that workplace bullying is a product of dysfunctional organizational and cultural structures, and that characteristics of the work environment such as high centralization and role ambiguity contribute to creating a social climate that enables its spread, with mediating factors playing a role in shaping its intensity and direction.