The Role of Cognitive Dissonnance in Workplace Mobbing

What is Cognitive Dissonance?

"Cognitive dissonance is just one of many biases that work in our everyday lives. We don’t like to believe that we may be wrong, so we may limit our intake of new information or thinking about things in ways that don’t fit within our pre-existing beliefs. Psychologists call this “confirmation bias.” ...

Crucially, as I believe happened in my situation:

 "Studies of cognitive dissonance show, that as soon as we take sides, the brain sees to it

 that we will justify and solidify our position by seeking only the information that 

confirms it, and deny, ignore or minimize evidence that we could be wrong."

(http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/10/19/fighting-cognitive-dissonance-the-lies-we-tell-ourselves/)

What I believe, in all likelihood, happened is that irrespective of whatever evidence my husband or I provided to the Board of Trustees, the Board accepted Rick's version of events as truthful. With the rumour of me supposedly being mentally unwell, anything that didn't tally with Rick's version would have been evidence of my mental ill health. (Please read my previous blog about my mental health, if you have not already done so.)

In addition, the fact that I developed panic attacks, had a seizure and suffered severe anxiety difficulties would again have reinforced that I was mentally ill, using cognitive dissonance.  The reality was that I had developed these difficulties as a reactive stress response to the "psychological terrorism" I was being subjected to. 

Cognitive Dissonance in Workplace Mobbing: From Janice Harper PhD, psychologytoday.com, March 2013:

" ... having been encouraged to avoid and resent the worker, to gossip about them and make adverse reports against them, otherwise kind and compassionate workers can quickly become nasty, bullying aggressors. And when they do so, they do not view themselves as aggressive, but as defending against the “irrational” acts and allegations of the targeted worker. ...

"Through cognitive dissonance, mobbing participants come to view their own bad behavior as justified and necessary, because to consider themselves as “bullying” a coworker is usually contrary to their own values and sense of self identity."

......

Excerpt from an email I sent to a charity trustee "Ben", identifying cognitive dissonance, without putting a name to it:

Dear "Ben" [charity trustee],

I see [current CEO] has now removed [my family's] name completely from the [charity] website, trying to eliminate any acknowledgement of the blood, sweat and tears my family gave for over 15 years to establishing a wonderful, highly professional charity, founded on strong moral and ethical principles. I thought [the charity]'s morality could get no lower; it seems I was wrong.   

[My daughters'] childhood and the death of their mother was intrinsically linked to [the charity]. To eliminate our work from the history is nothing short of cruel. ... I am not an ego driven person and never have been, but I am also not a person to crawl away defeated when kicked in the gutter for no good reason. A huge injustice has taken place, and I have every intention of putting it right. 

I repeat yet again - I have been completely truthful since our traumas began in April 2011, and therefore I will continue to speak the truth. If it has been said I lied, then it is probably the person speaking those words who is the liar. It may be much more comfortable to believe the person looking in your face than the person who has been banished, but the real truth remains the truth. [Here, without putting a name to it, I identify Cognitive Dissonance]. 

Irrespective of whether the lies that were told were believed (and it is clear these are numerous), I and my family have not at all deserved the treatment we have received.

It sickens me to the core that the trustee who told numerous lies, acted in a passive aggressive manner ... who was totally unprofessional and manipulative remains on the board of trustees. 

Regards 

No reply was received in response, as was frequently the case with our communications. This was one of many communications I and my husband sent to the trustees, but they repeatedly refused to respond or acknowledge the truth of what had happened, not only to me, but I suspect also to themselves.   

"One of the things that be confusing and frustrating for targets of bullying is that 
even when they use logic and evidence to defend themselves against attacks, they 
are unable budge the bullies from their stance. The bullies may seem reasonable
 in other circumstances and with other people. 

Why then, do they distort facts and substitute misinterpretations?" 

- www.respectfulworkplace.wordpress.com

I believe the answer to this question is indeed "Cognitive Dissonance".

I suspect even today, many, if not all of the trustees are unable to face what they did and 

for those of them who are capable of empathy and feelings of guilt, Cognitive Dissonance may be their only means of self-protection against those feelings of guilt.