Workplace Bullies

Prisons are places where high stress and high anxiety are analogous to the social climate of negative work conditions and behaviors. There are expressed and unexpressed influences in this environment that are prejudicial and contrary to many laws passed to protect workers and coworkers from the undue influences of workplace harassment. The fact that these laws are often ignored makes this a most important issue to talk or read about since it has many consistencies related to harassment, discrimination, abuse, conflict and violence.

Unfortunately, within corrections, there are those who engaged in this behavior of bullying others they work with or supervise. The bottom line in this social conduct of harassment and discrimination or abuse leads one to have to deal with the workplace bully. This kind of person is usually open about his or her opinion about race, sexual preferences, discrimination or harassment. In fact, it is their open devious mannerism that makes them so effective in focusing the deeply seeded feelings about coworkers and even their supervisors. Bullies draw no lines in their targets. They often bully the prison population as well as those that work inside the place. It is safe to say that 50 % of the workforce engages in some type of behavior related to workplace bullying. However, the actual number of correctional officers who impose their will on others is much less but nevertheless, a force to reckon with while at work.

"Bullying is a compulsive need to displace aggression and is achieved by the expression of inadequacy (social, personal, interpersonal, behavioral, and professional) by projection of that inadequacy onto others through control. Bullying is sustained by abdication of and perpetuated by a climate of fear, ignorance, indifference, silence, denial, disbelief, deception, evasion of accountability, tolerance and reward (e.g. promotion) for the bully." (Tim Field, 1999) Harassment is any form of unwanted and unwelcome behavior which may range from mildly unpleasant remarks to physical violence. Harassment is termed sexual harassment if the unwanted behaviors are linked to your gender or sexual orientation. Racial harassment is when the behaviors are linked to your skin color, race, cultural background, etc. If the harassment is physical, the criminal law of assault may be appropriate. If the harassment comprises regular following, watching, repeated unsolicited contact or gifts, etc., the term stalking may be appropriate. Discrimination is when you are treated differently (e.g. less favorably) because of your gender, race or disability.

Working as a correctional officer, one is normally perceived to be strong physically and psychologically sound. Therefore, one would think that your chances of falling prey to a bully are therefore reduced by the mere comportment of the job and position as correctional officers. This is a wrong assumption to make for all persons are subject to the entrapment of the bully and the mechanics involved in the process. Underestimating the intense repetitiveness of the bully to break your armor or spirit can result in being victimized and subject to bullying. In most cases the bullying process takes place in two phases or levels that are easy to follow. The first phase is the control phase. One can easily recognize this conduct by the constant criticism and daily nit-picking of how you perform your duties, your attitude or your manner until you reach the second phase or level and are pulled into the trap of taking action against the bully but come off being accused of false charges, ill prepared for such work conditions, and if the bully is totally successful, it could result in forced resignations, or long term illnesses that result in eventual resignations or prolonged stress / anxiety attacks at work.

Source:

http://www.bullyonline.org/workbully/index.htm

COMING SOON - GORILLA JUSTICE - A NEW BOOK ABOUT THE INCARCERATION OF WAR VETERANS, THE MENTALLY ILL AND SOLITARY CONFINEMENT!!!!

Veterans with PTSD

Veterans with PTSD –Common Family Problems

Sad news coming out of Phoenix Arizona where it was reported a married returning war veteran shot his wife during a domestic dispute and stated he did so because of his military training and coping skills taught to him by the United States Army. Basically, what the ex-soldier was saying that his military life created problems for his family relationships and caused him to lose control of his anger and set him up for failure in his life, his marriage and his mind.

According to the Veterans Administration, male veterans are more likely to have problems related to their personal relationships or marriages, being sound parents and having poor coping and functional skills dealing with family issues. This is not to imply that female veterans do not experience the same type of problems as they are also prone or susceptible to the same symptoms of PTSD as their male colleagues when they deal with their personal issues.

Looking at marriage problems there are reports of not sharing their thoughts and feeling with their spouses and in personal relationships there appears to be identical issues reported around intimacy and other emotional issues that tend to give them lower satisfaction of the relationship or life itself. In marriage, PTSD veterans tend to be divorced twice as much as non-veteran and 3 times more likely to divorce 2 or 3 times during relationships. In addition to the numerous divorces, their relationships are also reported to be shorter than normal indicative of their problems to handle intimacy and emotional issues related to family issues.

It must be stressed and emphasized that veterans with PTSD are more prone to experience more physical and verbal aggression as well as domestic or family violence issues. In addition, this violence is not just restricted to family but extends beyond their support group or families. Regarding violence, veterans with PSTD commit more family violence than other spouses or partners.

Impacting their daily health and wellness it must be said with most certainty that PTSD impacts the mental health of the veteran and his or her partner. It has been reported that post trauma stress disorder has impacted lower levels of happiness; less satisfaction in their personal lives; excessive disappointment or demoralization / discouragement and reporting more than 50 % feel they are near the rim of a “nervous breakdown” in their lives.

Therefore it is reasonable to conclude that living with a veteran with PTSD who has gone through serious trauma such as a war or other critical incident involves having a high risk of violence within the family setting or circle. Family members and friends must seek effective ways of helping these veterans and assist them in treatment that consists of education for the entire family, support groups for both partners and veterans, therapy either group or individual and preemptive family counseling.

Source:

http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/partners-of-vets.asp

Willa the Bear and Stoney Creek

Willa the Bear and Stoney Creek

Willa was small for a grizzle bear and was made fun of by the other bears as they hunt for salmon on the Stoney River up north by the Canadian border. Her parents were huge in size and were well respected in the forest as great hunters and good neighbors. Willa had two brothers that were normal size and growing quickly. It was difficult being a runt kind of bear as others poked fun at Willa as she lagged behind the others when their longer legs carried them further and faster than her shorter legs. Although it was seldom they all traveled together at one time, there were hunting trips they all took together to show the others that they mean business whenever they found a spot along the river banks that were full of delicious fish swimming for their lives during the spawning season.

A Christmas Story

A Christmas Story

The house was cold and the fire was out
This late at night there wasn’t a soul about
But as the sun came up on the east side of the red roofed house
Everyone awakened even the uninvited mouse

The stocking were hanging there on the mantle for all to see
If Ole Saint Nick came in with glee
And leave the children with stockings full of toys
Some for the girls and some for the boys

The chimney was cleaned just for him
For the soot had filled up the stack to the brim
And as the night past quickly by
It was Ole Saint Nick that blinked his eye

And found a toy for everyone inside
Inside the stockings he tried to hide
Something good and something fun
A Barbie doll and a plastic gun

But most of all he left good cheer
Letting the kids know he was here
And with a ho ho ho he left his mark
As he came down the chimney during the dark

So you better be nice and better be good
For if you are bad your stocking will be black with soot
And empty of toys and hanging bare
If you don’t’ listen you better care
For Ole Saint Nick knows whether you are good or bad
And has been known to leave you an empty hand

Living in the Darkness

It has been said that those who live in the darkness can see the light and that those who live in the land of the shadows of death can see the dawn or the genesis of life. This is a most interesting aspect of life that men have looked into for centuries as the darkness represents so many different things in someone’s life as they interpret the meaning of their own destiny and existence among others.

Life in the darkness should not be thought of as being the same as life in the dark ages. There are bounds of differences between the two as one reflects the medieval times and the other reflect the current events or past events of your life. However, just for a moment in time, let us reflect life in the dark ages and go back centuries where various powerful groups of men such as the Vikings, the Goths, the Moors, the Greek and the Romans ruled and Europe underwent a change in culture that impacted kings, emperors, churches and civilization as it was before and after.

Progressing slowly and evolving into a new period where life, romance, science and religion took on new meanings, it was the basis of an evolution and a revolution of the way we lived and the way cultures shaped individual societies based on those same influences that either guided or dictated our lifestyles based on our own values and beliefs. One can only imagine what it was like back then and imagination is a powerful tool for the future.

Thus the present time of dark days are not direct reflections of the past but have links of commonalities that allow us to make sense of what has happened, what is happening and what will happen in the future. The choice of believing and inviting such beliefs or ideas is to be determined to be an individual choice that guides one’s own destiny.

Living in the darkness is a choice that isn’t easy. Living without light is hard to get used to but some prefer no shadows as they remind them of death; the death of their loved ones, the death of their friends and the death of their dreams. After all it isn’t easy to see your life come apart at the seams.

Living in the dark is getting easy as your mind thinks different than before as you become numb of what is around you making you think it matters no more. It’s not the darkest hour or the last hour of your life but no matter what you think, living in the dark is depressing and makes everything turn black or grey.

Living in the dark makes no sense to many but regardless of the few that prefer to be there without the light they know that it is their minds that create the pictures of whether your hands can feel the grip or your mind can’t feel the pain. It takes being in the dark to understand how someone feels to live without the light and no matter what you think or what you say, your words will have no power over them until they forego their own choices and decide to walk away.

Looking for the light someday and finding something or someone is a dream for some and hopeless for many. You undergo a mental process that lead you to the light or leads you astray. There is no question about the darkness having the power without doubt to keep you from finding the light and keep you at bay. You know you never expected to be in the darkness but here everyone looks the same. Being in the darkness is the one thing that can keep you insane.

A Haunting Story - The Red Roofed House -

Tales of the Red Roofed House by Carl ToersBijns (Fiction Ghost Story)

Chapter 1 – Introduction
Chapter 2 – The Evolution of Darkness
Chapter 3 – The long night
Chapter 4 – The making of a nightmare
Chapter 5 –The darkness and the light
Chapter Six – The Unexplainable Happens