Horizontal violence

This term originated in the nursing profession. It describes hostile and aggressive acts by nurses toward other nurses. There has been significant research into bullying in nursing. It is one of the highest sectors for bullying in New Zealand, Australia and other western nations.

One of the reasons why horizontal violence occurs in nursing is because of cultural norms. A similar dynamic happens in the trades with apprenticeships. The person bullied is often younger and less experienced. The people who perpetrate horizontal violence are older and have usually experienced bullying themselves when they were young nurses or apprentices. It becomes a “Right of Passage” or an expected norm maintained under the acceptance of the group that colludes and protects the perpetrators from accountability. 

In some sectors this ‘Right of Passage’ bullying is condoned and considered harmless fun, or is viewed as some kind of ‘training’ to develop capacity in the person targeted to work in the field. Viewing bullying as some kind of necessary experience to ensure one is tough enough to withstand the rigors of the profession is why nurses or apprentices pass it on to the next generation ensuring it becomes embedded in the social system.