Being nice, outgoing, curious, organized, and calm—protective or eroded by workplace bullying? Reciprocal effects of personality and bullying, and mechanisms to explain the associations

The present study examined the reciprocal associations between personality traits and workplace bullying, and mechanisms underlying these associations. Data were drawn from a large longitudinal probability sample of the Swedish workforce (<i>N</i> = 2,024). Workplace bullying was measured using both self-labelling and behavioural experience methods, and personality was assessed through the Big Five traits. Two mechanisms were proposed and tested: an interpersonal conflict mechanism and an emotional distress mechanism. The results showed reciprocal associations between bullying and neuroticism, indicating that personality may both influence exposure to bullying and be shaped by it. Both mechanisms fully mediated the association from neuroticism to subsequent bullying, suggesting that emotional reactivity and conflict involvement explain why individuals high in neuroticism are at greater risk of becoming targets. Emotional distress also fully mediated the effects from exposure to bullying to subsequent increases in neuroticism and decreases in conscientiousness. These findings imply that prolonged exposure to bullying may erode emotional stability and self-regulatory capacity over time. Overall, the study highlights that in cases of exposure to bullying, personality should not be viewed as a fixed risk factor but as a dynamic system interacting with the social environment, where bullying can gradually alter dispositional functioning through emotional and interpersonal processes.