Lateral violence

Lateral violence or horizontal hostility is a form of intra-group conflict where members of an oppressed group displace their agression towards their own community rather than towards the oppressors of the community.^[1] Work environments with strong vertical hierarchies and where horizontal hostility is common are associated with poor outcomes for patients and clients.^[2] Horizontal hostility benefits oppressing groups and impedes movements that promote social justice.^[2]

Targets of horizontal hostility may be members of the group who are perceived to be more mainstream or relatable to the oppressive cultural groups.^[2]

Horizontal hostility has been studied in relation to Indigenous communities,^[3] institutional settings (especially nursing),^[4] and social movements such as feminism.^[5]

Social movements

Horizontal hostility within feminist movements has been studied since the 1970s.^[2]

Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Freire discussed horizontal violence in his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970). Freire observed that members of oppressed groups act as "sub-oppressors" when they direct their hostility and frustration toward their peers instead of the oppressing group. Freire theorized that "sub-oppressors" act from feelings of low self-esteem, powerlessness, and fear of reprisal, lashing out at members of their own group because that feels safer and allows them to feel more powerful.^[6]

Indigenous communities

Lateral violence within Indigenous communities is part of a cycle of abuse and its roots lie in factors such as: colonisation, oppression, intergenerational trauma and the ongoing experiences of racism and discrimination.^[7] These traumas contribute to self-oppressing or bullying behaviours within the community.^[8] Those experiencing and those committing lateral violence are more likely to be involved in crime in the United States, and the United Kingdom.^{[citation needed]}

In Australia and Canada, lateral violence is widely seen as an intergenerational learned pattern and major social problem in indigenous communities.^[9] In Australia surveys have reported that up to 95% of Aboriginal youth had witnessed lateral violence in the home, and that 95% of the bullying experienced by Aboriginals was perpetrated by other Aboriginals.^[10]

A 2008 study by the Canadian Ministry of Health found that trauma resulting from the Canadian boarding school systems has led to substance and alcohol abuse. This, along with severing ties to indigenous culture predisposes indigenous communities towards domestic abuse and violence.^[11]

Institutional settings

Horizontal hostility has been studied in the field of nursing since at least the early 1980s. In this field, it is defined as workers "overtly or covertly directing their dissatisfaction inward toward: (a) those less powerful than themselves, (b) themselves, and (c) each other". Lateral hostility among nurses is an issue throughout practice settings. The most cited theory attempting to explain the problem of lateral hostility in nursing suggests that nurses experience oppression or powerlessness in the workplace, that this creates a toxic work environment, and nurses express their frustration through horizontal hostility.^[12] Worker burnout and poor outcomes for patients and clients may result from work environments atmospheres where horizontal hostility is common.^[2]

Horizontal hostility is a significant concept in discourse about Diversity. Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), where it is perceived as a barrier to the goals of DEI programs.^[13]

References

1. Moane, Geraldine (2011). Gender and colonialism : a psychological analysis of oppression and liberation (Rev. ed.). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. doi:10.1057/9780230279377. ISBN 978-0-230-27937-7. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
2. O'Hara, Caroline (2024). "Horizontal hostility". The Sage Encyclopedia of Multicultural Counseling, Social Justice, and Advocacy. doi:10.4135/9781071808023.n266. ISBN 978-1-0718-0803-0.
3. Jaber, Lindsey; Stirbys, Cynthia; Scott, Jesse; Foong, Emma (July 2023). "Indigenous Women's Experiences of Lateral Violence: A Systematic Literature Review". Trauma, Violence & Abuse. 24 (3): 1763–1776. doi:10.1177/15248380221077316. ISSN 1552-8324. PMC 10240644. PMID 35337235.
4. Zhang, Guolei; Zou, Tianchang; Zhang, Menghua (2025). "Horizontal Violence or Workplace Bullying Among Intensive Care Unit Nurses: A Mixed Systematic Review". Journal of Advanced Nursing. n/a (n/a) jan.16849. doi:10.1111/jan.16849. ISSN 1365-2648. PMID 40008631.
5. White, Judith B.; Langer, Ellen J. (1999). "Horizontal Hostility; Relations Between Similar Minority Groups". Journal of Social Issues. 55 (3): 537–559. doi:10.1111/0022-4537.00132. ISSN 1540-4560.
6. "Horizontal Violence | Research Starters | EBSCO Research". EBSCO. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
7. "Lateral violence entry on the CRRF Glossary of Terms". Canadian Race Relations Foundation. Archived from the original on 29 Dec 2022.
8. "Lateral Violence in First Nations Communities – Kwey Kway Consulting". www.kweykway.ca. 15 December 2019.
9. "Aboriginal Lateral Violence" (PDF). Native Women’s Association of Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-11. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
10. Spirits, Jens Korff, Creative (13 August 2020). "Bullying & lateral violence". Creative Spirits.
11. "Aboriginal women and family violence" (PDF). www.onwa.ca. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 May 2017.
12. Sheridan-Leos, Norma (2008). "Understanding lateral violence in nursing". Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. 12 (3): 399–403. doi:10.1188/08.CJON.399-403. ISSN 1092-1095. PMID 18515237.
13. "Horizontal Hostility - Definition and Explanation". The Oxford Review - OR Briefings. Retrieved 2025-09-20.