The Etiology of Workplace Retaliation

What is the origin of employer-employee retaliation? When does it begin and how does it develop? What is the frame of mind of the retaliator? How much of a victim is the target of the retaliation? Does the one suffering the retaliatory behavior somehow enable the perpetrator?

I think it is safe to say the one suffering the retaliation is the starting point of all retaliation in the workplace. Even if someone is looking for a victim to retaliate against, that victim must somehow come to the attention of the perpetrator. That is not say the victim is in anywhere culpable because he or she did something to get the attention of the retaliator. It's like a bully looking for someone to dominate; the bully must perceive someone to have some sort of weakness. This weakness can be in addition to having done something to garner attention. In the workplace, perhaps an employee stands up to a manager, which places the employee on the manager's radar. If the employee is subordinate or otherwise less influential than the manager is, retaliation might begin.

The one predisposed to retaliate must possess a grandiose self-image. The perpetrator feels and acts superior to the future victim of retaliation. Perhaps if relationship remained in this state where the retaliator feels superior and the victim accepts that fact and acts like the underling, it would not escalate to retaliation. Rather, the manager, in this case, would be secure in his place as superior to the employee who acts the part of the victim. Retaliation in this situation is not required because the hierarchy is set and both players know and accept their roles. It is almost like a grownup form of bullying. The perpetrator gains benefit from the victim's meekness and the victim keeps the "bully" at bay.

I doubt there is a single incident that sets off the retaliatory behavior; instead, it unfolds as the two play out the roles in the workplace. Since there is no defining moment when retaliation begins, the beginning might be when the victim first notices certain harassment. Maybe, the victim receives a poor evaluation that is out of character according to past evaluations.