Any conduct that violates the dignity of the person by creating an intimidating, humiliating or offensive environment for reasons of ethnicity, age, religion, convictions, disability, sexual orientation, etc… is classified as harassment. In this Psychology-Online article we will address the issue from the stalker’s perspective: How does he act? How to detect it? What are their characteristics? What to do in a bullying situation? When does the harassment end? We will answer all these questions for a greater understanding and prevention of the phenomenon.
How do you know if it is harassment? Signs to detect it
First of all, it is necessary to differentiate between the different types of harassment that we can find:
- Workplace Harassment: intense psychological violence behaviors directed repeatedly and for a long time from a position of power, with the intention of creating a hostile and humiliating environment in the workplace.
- sexual harassment: any verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature that has the effect of violating the dignity of a person.
- Harassment based on sex: behavior carried out based on a person’s sex with the purpose of violating their dignity and creating an intimidating, degrading or offensive environment.
- school bullying: any form of physical, verbal or psychological abuse that occurs among students repeatedly over time.
How do you know if it is workplace harassment?
The keys to detecting it are:
- Authority abuse.
- Limit relationships.
- Criticize or make comments about the victim’s private life.
- Degrading treatment: attack, ignore…
How do you know if it is sexual harassment?
Some common examples that will help you detect the:
- Deliberate, unsolicited and unnecessary physical contact such as touching, kissing, slapping…
- Unnecessary and excessive physical approach.
- Repeated and deliberate search for unnecessary alone meetings with the person at extra-academic times and places, for example.
How do you know if it is harassment for reasons of sex?
Some of the most common examples that constitute harassment based on sex are:
- Physically or verbally attacking to demonstrate the superiority of one sex over another at parties, cultural events…
- Ignore contributions, comments, actions.
- Ridicule, use pejorative expressions or belittle abilities and skills because they belong to a certain sex.
- Penalize workers for exercising maternity or paternity.
- Assigning or requesting tasks to a person based on sexist prejudices.
- Use gestures that create an intimidating environment.
- Use sexist humor in the academic field among others.
How do you know if it is bullying?
All those acts that harm the child psychologically or physically and meet the following characteristics will be signs of:
- Intentionality
- Repetition
- power imbalance
The stalker profile: 6 characteristics
The profiles of stalkers vary depending on the type we are talking about. We can find some common features, but then we would have to go deeper for a closer approximation. These are the general features:
- Little tolerant people who cannot tolerate a way of doing things in others that is different from what they consider appropriate. Does not tolerate discrepancies.
- People unable to tolerate stress to which they are subjected, thereby exerting the same pressure that they feel on others. As they humiliate them, they also humiliate; This way you can blame the system and not take any responsibility.
- People who use power and that feeling like an anxiolytic to calm down.
- obsessive personalities: Individuals who have an obsessive character have an immense need to dominate, control, and classify.
- Narcissistic personality disorder: here you will find detailed information.
- Paranoid personality disorder: In the following article you can see more information about .
What to do in a bullying situation?
How to act in a situation of
If you are the person who is being harassed:
- Analyze the incident or situation as soon as possible. Write down dates, times, places, people who may have witnessed it.
- Accumulate evidence: emails and messages.
- Don’t keep it a secret. Tell what happens to people you trust.
- Try to find out if there are people around you who have also suffered harassment.
- Talk to your superior, if there is one.
- Report the situation and seek support from the different organizations that exist.
- You can confront the bully directly if you feel capable of it, never if you don’t.
- File a complaint, claim or complaint to the relevant place.
If you witness a bullying situation:
- We have the responsibility to act. Regardless of your situation, your performance is important.
- If you are a witness, go to the harassing person and let them know they need to stop their behavior. Rate their behavior. (As long as there is no greater danger)
- Look carefully where you suspect a bullying situation is occurring.
- Inform the relevant Organizations so that, even if the person who suffers does not want to report it, preventive action can be taken.
If you are a teacher:
- Find information about harassment in your workplace. Train yourself, organize workshops, seminars…
- If a student comes to you to explain a case of bullying, listen to them respectfully and implement the action protocol relevant. Offer your professional help.
- Talk about the problem with the students, do not wait for something serious to happen to act.
- Contact the relevant Organizations. Here you will find more information about .
If you have people in your charge:
- Seek information about harassment and educate yourself.
- If a person in your care suffers from it, you have the legal responsibility to act.
- Gather information by meeting separately with people you believe are part of the situation. Contact the relevant Organizations.
- Make sure that the people in your charge know the protocols for action in these cases.
- Do not wait for a serious case to occur to act.
When does a stalker get tired?
It is complex to answer this question since there are different types of harassers and they act in different ways. Experts divide between: psychotic and non-psychotic. Inside, we find the following subcategories:
- Refused
- Resentful
- In love
- Suitor
- Predator
The time it takes to get tired varies and you may not get tired. You shouldn’t wait for this to happenActing before the situation becomes more serious is the best prevention since there is no exact equation to know when a stalker will get tired.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to How does a stalker act?we recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- ANAR Foundation (2017). ANAR Telephone: the prevention, detection and intervention tool against bullying and cyberbullying in Spain. Health, 15(2), 128-132.
- Mutua Madrileña Foundation & ANAR Foundation How to detect and act against bullying. Retrieved from: https://www.acabemosconelbullying.com/recursos/pdf/MANUAL_PADRES_Y_PROFESORES_ACOSO.pdf
- Pereda, M. Profile of the harasser and the victim. Psychology Consultation. Recovered from: https://www.mperedapsicologia.com/perfil-del-acosador-y-de-la-victima/
- Complutense University of Madrid. Guide for the Prevention and Detection of Sexual Harassment, Sexist Harassment and Harassment based on sexual orientation and Gender Identity or Expression. Retrieved from: https://www.ucm.es/data/cont/media/www/pag-1465/guia_UCM_acoso_online.pdf
- Vice-rector for social and community affairs. Action in situations of harassment at the University of Seville. Recovered from: https://fisica.us.es/sites/fisica/files/users/user5/Triptico%20Acoso.pdf