PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Sexual Harassment is an unethical behavior of people who uses light force against others by using his physical, verbal or conditional position in order to take advantage to others so that they will submit to such authority within the given condition. This can happen almost everywhere especially in the workplace and other organizations even in school. Usually the harasser has a certain advantage against the victim. Sexual harassment can include many things such as actual sexual attempts, dealings, physical touch, gestures, intimidating looks, unwanted arrangement and threats etc. words and comments can also be a form of sexual harassments if a person is guilty to attempt a sexual communication, opening up sexual questions or topics, and more.
Sexual harassment usually arises from unwelcomed behavior which is sexual in nature. There are times that a person may voluntarily submit to their offenders within a certain conditions if they are in need to submit their will or they have no choice, in a workplace where an ordinary employee are offered to gain a higher position by their boss if they allowed themselves to deal in a one night stand or they will be forced to kick them out of the company, there are employees who are forced to take the offer in order to maintain their job. This is just a lighter example of sexual harassment. There are also times that they will be forced to retaliate in order to resist such acts.
In a court or even in an argument, sexual harassment is sometimes hard to identify especially in a more liberated countries that usually are not cautious in verbal and physical gestures since there is no physical contacts involved. Usually the effects of sexual harassment may depend on the severity of the incidents that takes place during the harassment. Psychologically this can be a lifelong struggle in the mind of the victim especially if they have not experienced such conditions. Medical experts and psychologist believed that the effect of sexual harassment is just like the same with rape. The victim may feel guilty or worthless to commit a harsh decision to fight back to their offenders, or worst they can even have a hostile physical tendency if they are not given support. Mostly the victims of sexual harassment are women.
The most common psychological effects of sexual harassment is withdrawal in work or in school and any other activity that they usually does, they are merely reckless and negligence in most of their activities. In school a student may usually bothered to see their offenders and the same in their workplace. Sometimes the victims can become an accused if they tend to criticize their conviction or if they are being played around in the community this creates heavier burden psychologically. If the scandal has become sensationalized or publicly exposed, the victim themselves are sometimes judge by other person that weakens them to discontinue the undertakings in suing the offenders.
Preliminarily the victim may feel uncomfortable, sleepless and uneasy. If the victims themselves suffered from bad reputation and mistrust and if they have not gotten support from family and friend depression and anxiety may occur the conviction may become hopeless that causes traumatic exhaustion or breakdown. Some may even lead their lives to alcoholism, drugs or sometimes rebellion that they are unaware that they themselves are performing sexual harassment against others subconsciously. Post traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts can be the most dangerous psychological effects of sexual harassment. Most companies and organization must make it clear that there are department that can take good care of their employees and people in such situation so that if this happened in their employment they can immediately expose such harassment rather than come out to the public.
Alternatively the victim must be moved away or transfer in the location temporarily or permanently until such time they can recover and escape the tragic experience where the sexual harassment occur. If possible they need a new atmosphere and surroundings that can remove their tendency to commit unnecessary actions, they should consult a psychiatrist in order to validate the severity in the case of the victim if they are willing and if their conditions are still fine and easy to be recovered. They can suggest a temporary remedy during those times that the victim may highly need them. In case of children who are victims they must immediately seek medical attention because most children may not feel the guilt or the pain during the occurrence but they can be slowly developed until they grow-up. Most importantly the greatest cure is the support of their immediate family and friends to whom they can trust.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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