Camouflaged Aggression: The Hidden Threat to Individuals and Organizations

Robert B. MacIntyre, a former professor of psychology at the Ontario
Institute for Studies in Education, is head of the Centre for
Relationship Therapy and Education in Orangeville, Ontario.

According to Abdennur, there are two types of aggression in contemporary
organizational life: confrontational and nonconfrontational (or
camouflaged). His thesis is that the confrontational aggression is a
higher evolutionary development and more desirable than the camouflaged,
nonconfrontational style. The growth of bureaucracy and large
organizations, however, has created conditions that support camouflaged
aggression over direct confrontation as a means of establishing
dominance and power. Employees in large organizations tend to express
aggression against others behind the screen of “policy” or
“committee or board decision.” A distinguishing characteristic of
camouflaged aggression is that the victim cannot identify the specific
source or retaliate against it.

Abdennur supports his ideas with references ranging from the
“hydraulic” theories of early psychoanalysis and comparative
ethnology studies of animals, to current news stories. These are
presented along with personal and general examples of modern
organizational life. (The author sees voice mail as a particularly nasty
form of anonymous aggression.) Clinical personality disorders and other
psychiatric problems that contribute to this style of hidden aggression
are also discussed.

Like many books that out to define a model of behavior, this volume is
more of a polemic and call to action than a balanced presentation of
argument and supporting data. Abdennur stays true to his two-dimensional
view; for him, the alternative to “a strong allegiance to the values
of confrontation” is a “rapid slide into a state of ... containment
and domination unprecedented in human history.” Although the case may
be overstated, Camouflaged Aggression does provide some insight into the
frustrations stemming from organizational life.