Revenge, Resentment & Rumination

When you’re hurt by someone you love and trust, you might become angry, sad or confused. If you dwell on hurtful events or situations, grudges filled with resentment, vengeance and hostility can take root. If you allow negative feelings to crowd out positive feelings, you might find yourself swallowed up by your own bitterness or sense of injustice. – The Mayo Clinic

Friday morning Jeffrey Johnson became both judge and jury when he determined the office grudge he reportedly shared with co-worker Steve Ercolino merited the death penalty.  A punishment he carried out himself when he ambushed Ercolino on the street. We can point fingers of blame — but where do we point them?  The employer? Analyzing how they handled the situation at the time is certainly beneficial in guiding other organizations.  But, whatever mistakes they may or may not have made Johnson was downsized out of his job over a year before.   Would anti-bullying legislation have prevented this?  The office conflict had risen to the level of physical harassment early on and there was legal recourse in place.  Grabbing someone by the throat and threatening them is already legislated.  In fact both men had filed police reports.  Raymond DiGiuseppe, chair in the Department of Psychology at St. John’s University, is quoted in the New York Observer: Continue reading →