There comes a time in most people’s lives when they are confronted with bullying. The fact is that there are a lot of people out there who are just not very nice. In fact probably about 3.6 percent of the adult American population has anti-social; personality disorder, according to psychiatric-disorders.com. These people are also referred to as sociopaths or psychopaths.
The defining traits of antisocial personality disorder are a disregard for the wellbeing of others, as well as a tendency to violate their rights. Some common characteristics of psychopaths include a tendency to:
- engage in violent acts and fights
- feel no guilt or remorse for his or her actions
- have no concern for individual safety or the safety of others
- lie or deceive consistently
- regularly break the law
- steal.
They are also typically angry, self-interested and arrogant. Even so, some sociopaths may seem charming or even flattering. Needless to say, the psychopath merely uses these social tools to manipulate people for selfish ends. (source)
Unfortunately psychopaths love power, and it is commonly stated that leadership and power roles are attractive to those with psychopathic tendencies. This means that there is a reasonable chance that the boss is quite literally “psycho”. While this won’t come as a surprise to many experienced workers, it is a sobering thought. As a rough estimate, probably 5-10-percent of bosses may have antisocial personality disorder.
What do you do when you find yourself in a position of subordination to a genuine bully? No doubt you will get many suggestions from friends or online sources. However my particular interest in this phenomenon is from the perspective of someone who is on a soul journey. I’ve used the term “champion of the soul” a few times recently, and here I am going to suggest some general principles which can help a person who is dealing with a real bully. My emphasis here is upon seeing the situation as a growth experience, and as stepping stone to greater empowerment. The following should be considered as the advice of someone who has had several experiences in the area, and who has attempted to apply spiritual principles to those situations. Feel free to make observations or distinctions in the comments section, below.
As an excellent exemplar, please allow me to refer to a tale which I outlined very briefly in my book Sage of Synchronicity - only in a little more detail here. This will help me explain the preferred processes in real-world terms. Unfortunately I cannot explain here the full process. That would really require direct exploration in a workshop or one-on-one counseling. Nonetheless, you will be able to get the essentials.
In 1996 I was a fairly naïve and shy 30 year old guy who had just landed his first job overseas.
