Antecedents of Passive-Aggressive Behavior as Employee Deviance

Abstract

Using the framework of deviant behavior, this paper examines passive-aggression and proposes antecedents that may influence how an individual acts when he or she chooses to engage in deviant behavior. The personality traits of extraversion and high self-monitoring are proposed as predictors of passive-aggressive behavior, and the psychological contract breech is also proposed as a situational predictor of passive-aggression. Using established typologies of both deviant behavior (i.e. Robinson & Bennett, 1995) and aggressive behavior (i.e. Binning & Wagner, 2002), this paper attempts to identify one type of aggressive deviant behavior and understand its causes.