Heinz Leymann
Encyclopedia
Heinz Leymann was born on July 17, 1932 in Wolfenbüttel
, Germany
. He was a Swedish
citizen. He was famous for his studies on mobbing among humans. He had a degree in pedagogical psychology, and another one in psychiatry
and worked as a psychologist. He was a professor at Umeå University
. He died in 1999 in Stockholm
.
in pedagogical psychology from Stockholm University
in 1978. He then went on to get another research doctorate (doktor i medicinsk vetenskap, "doctor of medical science", typically translated into English as Ph.D.) in psychiatry in 1990 from Umeå University
. Somewhat unusually, his doctorate in psychiatry was based on his clinical background as a psychologist; he did not go through medical training.
in the 1980s. His initial research in the area was based on detailed case studies of a number of nurses who had committed or tried to commit suicide
due to events at the workplace.
Although he preferred the term bullying in the context of school children, some have come to regard mobbing as a form of group bullying. As professor and practicing psychologist, Leymann also noted one of the side-effects of mobbing is post-traumatic stress disorder
and is frequently misdiagnosed.
Among researchers who have built on Leymann's work are:
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, located on the Oker river about 13 kilometres south of Brunswick. It is the seat of the District of Wolfenbüttel and of the bishop of the Protestant Lutheran State Church of Brunswick...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He was a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
citizen. He was famous for his studies on mobbing among humans. He had a degree in pedagogical psychology, and another one in psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
and worked as a psychologist. He was a professor at Umeå University
Umeå University
Umeå University is a university in Umeå in the mid-northern region of Sweden. The university was founded in 1965 and is the fifth oldest within Sweden's present borders....
. He died in 1999 in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.
Academic background
Leymann, who became a Swedish citizen in the mid-1950s, was awarded his Ph.D.Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in pedagogical psychology from Stockholm University
Stockholm University
Stockholm University is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. It has over 28,000 students at four faculties, making it one of the largest universities in Scandinavia. The institution is also frequently regarded as one of the top 100 universities in the world...
in 1978. He then went on to get another research doctorate (doktor i medicinsk vetenskap, "doctor of medical science", typically translated into English as Ph.D.) in psychiatry in 1990 from Umeå University
Umeå University
Umeå University is a university in Umeå in the mid-northern region of Sweden. The university was founded in 1965 and is the fifth oldest within Sweden's present borders....
. Somewhat unusually, his doctorate in psychiatry was based on his clinical background as a psychologist; he did not go through medical training.
Leymann's work on mobbing
Leymann pioneered research into mobbingMobbing
Mobbing in the context of human beings either means bullying of an individual by a group in any context. Identified as emotional abuse in the workplace, such as "ganging up" by co-workers, subordinates or superiors, to force someone out of the workplace through rumor, innuendo, intimidation,...
in the 1980s. His initial research in the area was based on detailed case studies of a number of nurses who had committed or tried to commit suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
due to events at the workplace.
Although he preferred the term bullying in the context of school children, some have come to regard mobbing as a form of group bullying. As professor and practicing psychologist, Leymann also noted one of the side-effects of mobbing is post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
and is frequently misdiagnosed.
Among researchers who have built on Leymann's work are:
- Davenport, Schwartz & Elliott
- Hecker
- Shallcross, Ramsay & Barker
- WesthuesKenneth WesthuesKenneth Westhues is a professor of sociology at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. In particular, he has researched the phenomena of mobbing as human bullying behaviour...
- Zapf & Einarsen
External links
- The Mobbing Encyclopaedia Website concerning Leymann's work on mobbing.
- The Heinz Leymann Memorial Website Website dedicated to the research of Dr. Heinz Leymann.