The Ugly Religion of Office Politics—and How It Destroys Minds

I Had No Intention of Writing This

I didn’t plan to write anything on World Mental Health Day. But scrolling through my feed, I stumbled upon a post from a senior corporate executive—a self-proclaimed coach (only God knows whom he coaches and on what)—glorifying office politics. He urged young professionals to embrace it, to learn how to fight back, and to stop being too sensitive.

In other words, accept toxicity as a career skill.

That post disturbed me more than I expected. Because if the next generation of professionals are told that manipulation is normal and integrity is naïve, then we are all complicit in the decay of our workplaces—and our minds.

Office Politics: The Cemetery of Civility

People stop learning how to work together and start learning how to outlive each other. And we wonder why the most capable people—the ones who build, innovate, and inspire—quietly disappear.

The victims of this culture are not weak. They’re the ones who still believe in decency, balance, and life outside office walls.

They work hard, respect boundaries, deliver results, and go home to families who know their laughter.

But in toxic environments, decency is treated like a software bug.

The quiet ones are ignored, the kind ones are used, and the honest ones are labelled “too emotional.” Over time, these people fade—not because they fail, but because they refuse to play dirty.

They stop raising their voices.

They stop sharing ideas.

They start counting days instead of possibilities.

And when they finally leave, the organization barely notices—because mediocrity never recognizes the quiet exit of excellence.

The Architects of Chaos

There has been much research on professionals who instigate office politics. So, I am not going to go into the obvious. However, let me look into the ones under the layer—and these are identified after reading hundreds of papers and listening to hours of podcasts by Dr. Gabor Maté, Mel Robbins, Brené Brown, and others. The masterminds behind office politics aren’t born villains. They’re often emotionally underdeveloped adults acting out old insecurities in professional disguise.

Let’s meet three of them.

 The Children Who Never Grew Up

They were raised by dominating parents or controlling partners who made every decision for them. They never learned autonomy—only obedience. Now they replay those childhood dynamics at work: bullying when they can, submitting when they must.

 The Emotionally Homeless