“Will They Strike Back?” Shedding Light on the Tit-for-Tat Mechanism in Incivility and Bullying Research from a Latent Class Perspective

This study aims to shed more light on the “tit-for-tat” mechanism in both workplace incivility and bullying by adopting a latent class analysis approach to an incivility sample from Israel (n = 204) and a bullying sample from Belgium (n = 1352). Our results yielded an asymmetrical tit-for-that mechanism. In line with the central notion of powerlessness in bullying research, those who exposed others to negative social behaviors were more likely to get exposed to these types of behaviors themselves than those who were exposed would expose others. Notably, our results prompt a necessary debate about construct validity in both research streams; the latent classes in both samples appear to support the notion of incivility and bullying representing two ends of the psychological aggression continuum. Finally, our findings urge scholars to exercise caution when “labeling” and constructing a discourse. If bullying is downplayed as incivility, the severity of the situation may be underestimated. Conversely, if incivility is labeled bullying, the severity of the situation may be overestimated. Additionally, when investigating and labeling respondents as “instigators,” “perpetrators” or “bullies,” caution is warranted due to the absence of clear academic definitions. In sum, alongside research, our findings highlight the need for a debate on construct validity in this field.