Exploring the Escalation Process of Academic Bullying: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Higher education in India is known to have a high incidence of workplace bullying, but less is known about the mechanisms of escalation. The present study pinpoints the elements of escalation and their characteristics within academic bullying. The thematic analysis of the data collected through semistructured in-depth interviews of twenty faculty members in private-unaided colleges across India, identified six common elements of escalation: trigger, resources assessment, reactance, rejection, helplessness and withdrawal. This study will help employers to establish more effective anti-bullying policies. Additionally, this study is one of the few attempts to address academic bullying in the Indian context.