There are research findings showing that workplace mobbing or incivility can be contagious and targets may react to such behaviors with mistreatment. However, the relationship between mobbing experience and instigated incivility, mechanisms explaining and factors strengthening this relationship has been relatively less examined. The current study aims to examine the mediating role of need satisfaction and moderating role of self-compassion in the relationship between mobbing and instigated incivility. It is hypothesized that mobbing is positively related to instigated incivility and negatively related to need satisfaction. Moreover, need satisfaction is proposed as mediator and self-compassion as moderator in the relationship between mobbing and instigated incivility. Study data was collected from 221 employees via an online survey. Hayes Process Macro was used to test hypotheses. Results revealed that mobbing was negatively related to need satisfaction and positively related to instigated incivility. Moreover, need satisfaction mediated the relationship between mobbing and instigated workplace incivility. But, self-compassion did not moderate the relationship between mobbing and instigated incivility. Exploratory study finding revealed that self-compassion moderated the relationship between mobbing and basic need satisfaction. In conclusion, different mistreatments might trigger each other by hindering need satisfaction and self-compassion might strengthen the effects of mobbing.
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