2307 - HORIZONTAL MORAL HARASSMENT: IMPACTS ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AND PRIVATE LIVES OF WORKING WOMEN

Session: D03S019 - Social Inequality 4
AUTHORS:
Mesquita Resende Marília (University Center of Brasilia ~ Brasilia ~ Brazil) , Pacheco Luisa (Sebrae Previdencia ~ Brasilia ~ Brazil)
Abstract text:
Mobbing and harassment have become pressing global concerns, affecting millions of workers across different sectors. Women, in particular, are disproportionately exposed to moral harassment, a form of psychological violence that undermines their dignity, emotional stability, and professional identity. While vertical harassment, between individuals of unequal hierarchical positions, has been widely studied, horizontal moral harassment, which occurs among colleagues at the same professional level, remains a less explored phenomenon. This study investigates the impacts of horizontal moral harassment on the psychological well-being and private lives of women workers. A qualitative approach was adopted, using semi-structured interviews with four Brazilian women who reported experiencing harassment by peers. Data were analyzed through Bardin's content analysis, guided by Carol Ryff's Psychological Well-Being model, encompassing six dimensions: autonomy, self-acceptance, positive relations with others, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth. The results reveal that peer-to-peer harassment profoundly undermines all these dimensions, leading to emotional exhaustion, self-doubt, and loss of autonomy, accompanied by the deterioration of interpersonal relationships and growing isolation. The effects extend beyond the workplace, influencing family dynamics, social interactions, and self-esteem, while weakening life purpose and personal development. Symbolic violence emerged as a central mechanism sustaining these dynamics, reinforcing gender-based power asymmetries even among colleagues of equivalent status. The study highlights the invisibility of horizontal harassment within organizational contexts and its serious implications for women's mental health. It calls for institutional measures to prevent and address workplace violence through ethical management practices, active listening channels, and support networks for victims. By integrating subjective and structural perspectives, this research deepens the understanding of peer moral harassment and strengthens the debate on gender, symbolic violence, and psychological well-being in organizational settings.