Backbiting or tale-bearing is to
slander
Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
someone in their absence — to bite them behind their back. Originally, backbiting referred to an
unsporting attack from the rear in the blood sport of
bearbaiting
Bear-baiting is a blood sport in which a chained bear and one or more dogs are forced to fight one another. It may also involve pitting a bear against another animal.
History Europe Great Britain
Bear-baiting was very popular from the 12th ...
.
Causes
Backbiting may occur as a form of release after a confrontation. By insulting the opposing person, the backbiter diminishes them and, by doing so, restores their own
self-esteem. A bond may also be established with the confidante if they are receptive to the hostile comment. Such
gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling.
Gossip is a topic of research in evolutionary psychology, which has found gossip to be an important means ...
is common in human society as people seek to divert
blame
Blame is the act of censuring, holding responsible, or making negative statements about an individual or group that their actions or inaction are socially or morally irresponsible, the opposite of praise. When someone is morally responsible fo ...
and establish their place in the
dominance hierarchy
In biology, a dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social groups interact, creating a ranking system. A dominant higher-ranking individual is so ...
. But the backbiting may be perceived as a form of delinquent behaviour due to an
inferiority complex.
Religious views
In most major religions, backbiting is considered a
sin
In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...
. Leaders of the
Baháʼí Faith
The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Baháʼu'lláh in the 19th century, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the ...
condemned it as the worst of sins as it destroyed the 'life of the soul' and provoked
divine wrath. In
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
, backbiting goes against the ideal of
right speech.
Saint Thomas Aquinas classified it as a
mortal sin
A mortal sin ( la, peccatum mortale), in Catholic theology, is a gravely sinful act which can lead to damnation if a person does not repent of the sin before death. A sin is considered to be "mortal" when its quality is such that it leads t ...
, given that, as with other mortal sins, the act attains its perfection, that is, the act is committed with full knowledge and full consent of the will.
Islam considers it to be a major sin and the
Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
compares it to the abhorrent act of eating the flesh of one's dead brother. Additionally, it is not permissible for one to keep quiet and listen to backbiting. In
Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...
, backbiting is known as
''hotzaat shem ra'' (spreading a bad name) and is considered a severe sin.
in the 19th century,
Charlotte Elizabeth wrote an account of backbiting for the
moral education
Character education is an umbrella term loosely used to describe the teaching of children and adults in a manner that will help them develop variously as moral, civic, good, mannered, behaved, non-bullying, healthy, critical, successful, traditiona ...
of children in places such as
Sunday school.
Notable examples
In the
Book of Numbers
The book of Numbers (from Greek Ἀριθμοί, ''Arithmoi''; he, בְּמִדְבַּר, ''Bəmīḏbar'', "In the desert f) is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah. The book has a long and c ...
, the elder siblings of
Moses –
Miriam and
Aaron – talk against him together. God is angered and punishes Miriam with leprosy.
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony B ...
notoriously spoke of
Gillian Duffy as being a "sort of
bigot
Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, rel ...
ed woman" after conversing with her pleasantly during his
2010 election campaign. This remark was made to his
staff as he was driving away but was picked up by a
live microphone. This incident caused him great
embarrassment
Embarrassment or awkwardness is an emotional state that is associated with mild to severe levels of discomfort, and which is usually experienced when someone commits (or thinks of) a socially unacceptable or frowned-upon act that is witnessed ...
and he returned to apologise, declaring that he was a "
penitent sin
In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...
ner".
References
{{reflist , refs=
[{{citation , page=353 , title=Applied Old Testament Commentary , author1=Tom Hale , author2=Steve Thorson , publisher=David C Cook , year=2012 , isbn=9781434766434]
[{{citation , page=106 , author=Rafik Berjak , title=The Qur'an: an encyclopedia , chapter=Backbiting , editor=Oliver Leaman , publisher=Taylor & Francis , year=2006 , isbn=9780415326391]
[{{citation , url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8649800.stm , title=Brown's 'bigot' remark: It's that sinking feeling , date= 29 April 2010 , publisher=BBC , author=Geoff Beattie]
[{{citation , title=Backbiting , author=Charlotte Elizabeth , author-link=Charlotte Elizabeth Tonna , publisher=John S. Taylor & Company , location=New-York Sunday School and Juvenile Book Depository , year=1842]
[{{citation , url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/28/gordon-brown-penitent-bigot-gaffe-campaign , title=Gordon Brown 'penitent' after bigot gaffe torpedoes election campaign , newspaper=]The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, author=Patrick Wintour, Polly Curtis , date=28 April 2010
[{{citation , page=98 , title=Religious Emblems and Allegories : a series of engravings, with suitable letter-press, designed to illustrate divine truth , year=1868 , author=William Holmes , location=London , publisher=William Tegg]
[{{cite book , last1=Abdullah , first1=Mohammed , title=The reliance of the believer in Ramadhan , date=2006 , publisher=Squiz D.sign , location=Singapore , isbn=9789810565497]
[{{citation , title=An introduction to the Baha'i faith , author=Peter Smith , publisher=Cambridge University Press , year=2008 , isbn=9780521862516 , page=156]
[{{citation , journal=The Educational Review , year=1964 , title=Psychology of Backbiting , volume=70-71 , page=195]
[{{citation , title=Why You Say It , author=Webb B. Garrison , chapter=To Backbite , publisher=Read Books , year=2007 , isbn=9781406776195 , page=166]
[{{citation , url=http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/various/wheel294.html , title=Right Livelihood: The Noble Eightfold Path in the Working Life , last=Jootla , first=Susan , year=1982 , work=The Wheel , publisher=Buddhist Publication Society]
Bullying
Communication of falsehoods
Defamation
Ethics
Sin