Harassment - Wikipedia Harassment For the harassment - related policy on Wikipedia, see Wikipedia : Harassment. Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behavior that demeans, humiliates or embarrasses a person, and it is characteristically identified by its unlikelihood in terms of social and moral reasonableness. In the legal sense, these are behaviors that appear to be disturbing, upsetting or threatening. It evolves from discriminatory grounds, and has an effect of nullifying or impairing a person from benefiting their rights. When this behaviors become repetitive it is defined as bullying. Sexual harassment refers to persistent and unwanted sexual advances even after gently refusing, typically in the workplace, where the consequences are potentially very disadvantageous to the victim if there is a power imbalance between the perpetuator. Contents 1 Etymology 2 Types 2.1 Electronic 2.2 Landlord 2.3 Mobile 2.4 Online 2.5 Police 2.6 Power 2.7 Psychological 2.8 Racial 2.9 Religious 2.10 Sexual 2.11 Workplace 3 Laws 3.1 United States 3.1. 1 New Jersey 's Law Against Discrimination ( `` LAD '' ) 3.2 Canada 3.3 United Kingdom 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Etymology The word is based in English since circa 1618 as a loan word from the French, which was in turn already attested in 1572 meaning torment, annoyance, bother, trouble and later as of 1609 was also referred to the condition of being exhausted, overtired. Of the French verb harasser itself there are the first records in a Latin to French translation of 1527 of Thucydides ' History of the war that was between the Peloponnesians and the Athenians both in the countries of the Greeks and the Romans and the neighbouring places wherein the translator writes harasser allegedly meaning harceler ( to exhaust the enemy by repeated raids ) ; and in the military chant Chanson du franc archer of 1562, where the term is referred to a gaunt jument ( de poil fauveau, tant maigre et harassée : of fawn horsehair, so meagre and... ) where it is supposed that the verb is used meaning overtired. A hypothesis about the origin of the verb harasser is harace / harache, which was used in the 14th century in expressions like courre à la harache ( to pursue ) and prendre aucun par la harache ( to take somebody under constraint ). The Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, a German etymological dictionary of the French language ( 1922 -- 2002 ) compares phonetically and syntactically both harace and harache to the interjection hare and haro by alleging a pejorative and augmentative form. The latter was an exclamation indicating distress and emergency ( recorded since 1180 ) but is also reported later in 1529 in the expression crier haro sur ( to arise indignation over somebody ). hare ' s use is already reported in 1204 as an order to finish public activities as fairs or markets and later ( 1377 ) still as command but referred to dogs. This dictionary suggests a relation of haro / hare with the old lower franconian * hara ( here ) ( as by bringing a dog to heel ). While the pejorative of an exclamation and in particular of such an exclamation is theoretically possible for the first word ( harace ) and maybe phonetically plausible for harache, a semantic, syntactic and phonetic similarity of the verb harasser as used in the first popular attestation ( the chant mentioned above ) with the word haras should be kept in mind : Already in 1160 haras indicated a group of horses constrained together for the purpose of reproduction and in 1280 it also indicated the enclosure facility itself, where those horses are constrained. The origin itself of harass is thought to be the old Scandinavian hârr with the Romanic suffix -- as, which meant grey or dimmish horsehair. Controversial is the etymological relation to the Arabic word for horse whose roman transliteration is faras. Although the French origin of the word ' harassment ' is beyond all question in the Oxford English Dictionary and those dictionaries basing on it, a supposed Old French verb harer should be the origin of the French verb harasser, despite the fact that this verb can not be found in French etymologic dictionaries like that of the Centre national de resources textuelles et lexicales or the Trésor de la langue française informatisé ( fr ) ( see also their corresponding websites as indicated in the interlinks ) ; since the entry further alleges a derivation from hare, like in the mentioned German etymological dictionary of the French language a possible misprint of harer = har / ass / er = harasser is plausible or can not be excluded. In those dictionaries the relationship with harassment were an interpretation of the interjection hare as to urge a dog to attack ', despite the fact that it should indicate a shout to come and not to go ( hare = hara = here ; cf. above ). The American Heritage Dictionary prudently indicates this origin only as possible. Types Electronic Main article : Electronic harassment Electronic harassment is the unproven belief of the use of electromagnetic waves to harass a victim. Psychologists have identified evidence of auditory hallucinations, delusional disorders, or other mental disorders in online communities supporting those who claim to be targeted. Landlord Main article : Landlord harassment Landlord harassment is the willing creation, by a landlord or his agents, of conditions that are uncomfortable for one or more tenants in order to induce willing abandonment of a rental contract. Such a strategy is often sought because it avoids costly legal expenses and potential problems with eviction. This kind of activity is common in regions where rent control laws exist, but which do not allow the direct extension of rent - controlled prices from one tenancy to the subsequent tenancy, thus allowing landlords to set higher prices. Landlord harassment carries specific legal penalties in some jurisdictions, but enforcement can be very difficult or even impossible in many circumstances. However, when a crime is committed in the process and motives similar to those described above are subsequently proven in court, then those motives may be considered an aggravating factor in many jurisdictions, thus subjecting the offender ( s ) to a stiffer sentence. Mobile Main article : Mobile harassment Mobile harassment refers to the sending of any type of text message, photo message, video message, or voicemail from a mobile phone that threatens, torments, or humiliates the recipient of these messages. It is a form of cyber bullying. Online Distribution of cyberbullying venues used by young people in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control Main article : Online harassment Harassment directs multiple repeating obscenities and derogatory comments at specific individuals focusing, for example, on the targets ' race, religion, gender, nationality, disability, or sexual orientation. This often occurs in chat rooms, through newsgroups, and by sending hate e-mail to interested parties. This may also include stealing photos of the victim and their families, doctoring these photos in offensive ways, and then posting them on social media with the aim of causing emotional distress ( see cyberbullying, cyberstalking, hate crime, online predator, and stalking ). Police Main article : Police harassment Unfair treatment conducted by law officials, including but not limited to excessive force, profiling, threats, coercion, and racial, ethnic, religious, gender / sexual, age, or other forms of discrimination. Power Main article : Power harassment Power harassment is harassment or unwelcome attention of a political nature, often occurring in the environment of a workplace including hospitals, schools and universities. It includes a range of behavior from mild irritation and annoyances to serious abuses which can even involve forced activity beyond the boundaries of the job description. Power harassment is considered a form of illegal discrimination and is a form of political and psychological abuse, and bullying. Psychological This is humiliating, intimidating or abusive behavior which is often difficult to detect, leaving no evidence other than victim reports or complaints. This characteristically lowers a person 's self - esteem or causes one to have overwhelming torment. This can take the form of verbal comments, engineered episodes of intimidation, aggressive actions or repeated gestures. Falling into this category is workplace harassment by individuals or groups mobbing. Community - based psychological harassment, meanwhile, is stalking by a group against an individual using repeated distractions that the individual is sensitized to. Media reports of large numbers of coordinated groups stalking individual stalking victims, including a press interview given by an active duty police lieutenant, have described this community - based harassment as gang stalking. Racial Main article : Racial harassment The targeting of an individual because of their race or ethnicity. The harassment may include words, deeds, and actions that are specifically designed to make the target feel degraded due to their race or ethnicity. Religious Notice to passengers posted behind bus driver, in Hebrew : `` Every passenger may take any seat they choose ( excepting places marked for disabled persons ) ; harassing a passenger in this regard may be a criminal offence ''. Verbal, psychological or physical harassment is used against targets because they choose to practice a specific religion. Religious harassment can also include forced and involuntary conversions. Sexual Main article : Sexual harassment Further information : Sexual harassment in education and Sexual harassment in the military Sexual harassment is an offensive or humiliating behaviour that is related to a person 's sex. It can be an subtle and overt sexual nature of a person ( sexual annoyance ), implied sexual conditions of a job ( sexual coercion ), etc. It can happen anywhere, but is most common in the workplace, schools, and the military. It involves unwanted and unwelcome words, deeds, actions, gestures, symbols, or behaviours of a sexual nature that make the target feel uncomfortable. Women are substantially more likely to be affected than men. The main focus of groups working against sexual harassment has been the protection of women, but in recent years awareness has grown of the need to protect LGBTQ, men and transgender people also. Workplace Main article : Workplace harassment Workplace harassment is : the offensive, belittling or threatening behavior directed at an individual worker or a group of workers. the odious dealing through pitiless, malevolent, hurtful or embarrassing attempts to undermine an individual worker or groups of workers. Recently, matters of workplace harassment have gained interest among practitioners and researchers as it is becoming one of the most sensitive areas of effective workplace management. In Oriental countries, it attracted lots of attention from researchers and governments since the 1980s, because a significant source of work stress is associated with aggressive behaviors in the workplace. Third world countries are far behind oriental countries in that there are limited efforts to investigate the questions on workplace harassment. It is almost unseen and the executive leaders ( managers ) are almost reluctant or unconscious about it in the third world countries. Under occupational health and safety laws around the world, workplace harassment and workplace bullying are identified as being core psychosocial hazards. Laws The examples and perspective in this section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. ( August 2015 ) United States Harassment, under the laws of the United States, is defined as any repeated or continuing un-consented contact that serves no useful purpose beyond creating alarm, annoyance, or emotional distress. In 1964, the United States Congress passed Title VII of the Civil Rights Act which prohibited discrimination at work on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin and sex. This later became the legal basis for early harassment law. The practice of developing workplace guidelines prohibiting harassment was pioneered in 1969, when the U.S. Department of Defense drafted a Human Goals Charter, establishing a policy of equal respect for both sexes. In Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, 477 U.S. 57 ( 1986 ) : the U.S. Supreme Court recognized harassment suits against employers for promoting a sexually hostile work environment. In 2006, President George W. Bush signed a law which prohibited the transmission of annoying messages over the Internet ( aka spamming ) without disclosing the sender 's true identity. New jersey 's law against discrimination ( `` LAD '' ) The LAD prohibits employers from discriminating in any job - related action, including recruitment, interviewing, hiring, promotions, discharge, compensation and the terms, conditions and privileges of employment on the basis of any of the law 's specified protected categories. These protected categories are race, creed, color, national origin, nationality, ancestry, age, sex ( including pregnancy and sexual harassment ), marital status, domestic partnership status, affectional or sexual orientation, atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, genetic information, liability for military service, or mental or physical disability, including HIV / AIDS and related illnesses. The LAD prohibits intentional discrimination based on any of these characteristics. Intentional discrimination may take the form of differential treatment or statements and conduct that reflect discriminatory animus or bias. Canada In 1984, the Canadian Human Rights Act prohibited sexual harassment in workplaces under federal jurisdiction. United kingdom Main article : Harassment in the United Kingdom In the UK, there are a number of laws protecting people from harassment, including the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. See also Hostile environment sexual harassment Mobbing Psychological warfare Sexual assault Sexual Assault Awareness Month Workplace aggression References Jump up ^ J. Amyot, Œuvres morales, p. 181 Jump up ^ M. Lescarbot, Histoire de la Nouvelle France, I, 479 Jump up ^ Etymology of harassement in the French etymologic dictionary CNRTL ( in French ) Jump up ^ The original text of the chant Jump up ^ Etymology of harasser in the French etymologic dictionary CNRTL ( in French ) Jump up ^ `` Centre national de ressources textuelles et lexicales ''. Cnrtl.fr. Retrieved 2013 - 07 - 22. Jump up ^ Etymology of haro Jump up ^ Etymology of haras Jump up ^ `` Harassment - Define Harassment at Dictionary.com ''. Dictionary.com. Jump up ^ `` Online Etymology Dictionary ''. etymonline.com. Jump up ^ `` Harass - Definition of harass by Merriam - Webster ''. merriam-webster.com. Jump up ^ Monroe, Angela ( November 12, 2012 ). `` Electronic Harassment : Voices in My Mind ''. KMIR News. Archived from the original on February 13, 2014. Retrieved 2014 - 02 - 25. Jump up ^ Weinberger, Sharon ( January 14, 2007 ). `` Mind Games ''. Washington Post. Retrieved 12 January 2014. Jump up ^ Olga Pochechueva. EMR Deliberately Directed At You -- Moscow : LOOM Publishing, 2015 ( in Russian ). -- 30 p. -- ISBN 978 - 5 - 906072 - 09 - 2 Jump up ^ Hertz, M.F. ; David - Ferdon, C. ( 2008 ). Electronic Media and Youth Violence : A CDC Issue Brief for Educators and Caregivers ( PDF ). Atlanta ( GA ) : Centers for Disease Control. p. 9. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 03. Jump up ^ Ybarra, Michele L. ; Diener - West, Marie ; Leaf, Philip J. ( December 2007 ). `` Examining the overlap in internet harassment and school bullying : implications for school intervention ''. Journal of Adolescent Health. 41 ( 6 Suppl 1 ) : S42 -- S50. doi : 10.1016 / j. jadohealth. 2007.09. 004. Jump up ^ Annette B. Roter ( 26 June 2017 ). Understanding and Recognizing Dysfunctional Leadership : The Impact of Dysfunctional Leadership on Organizations and Followers. Taylor & Francis. p. 161. ISBN 978 - 1 - 317 - 00517 - 9. Jump up ^ Office of Justice Programs, F.O.I.A. No. 10 - 000169, Source : Office of the General Counsel, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice : DOJ F.O.I.A. Document 1, DOJ F.O.I.A. Document 2, DOJ F.O.I.A. Document 3 Jump up ^ Candice Nguyen, Central Coast News ( January 29, 2011 ). `` Gang Stalking, `` Bullying on Steroids '' ``. Central Coast News, KION 46, FOX 35, California. Archived from the original on August 15, 2011. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 13. Jump up ^ Joe Conger ( February 17, 2010 ). `` Stalked, drugged and raped : Is it happening in San Antonio ? ''. KENS 5, San Antonio, TX. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 13. Jump up ^ Religious terrorism Jump up ^ Maeve Duggan. PEW Research Center. 2014. `` Online Harassment ''. `` http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/10/22/online-harassment/ ''. Jump up ^ `` EEOC Home Page ''. www.eeoc.gov. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 29. Jump up ^ Baugher, Amy R. ; Gazmararian, Julie A. `` Masculine gender role stress and violence : A literature review and future directions ''. Aggression and Violent Behavior. 24 : 107 -- 112. doi : 10.1016 / j. avb. 2015.04. 002. Jump up ^ http://www.apsc.gov.au/publications01/harassment.htm ^ Jump up to : Rokonuzzaman, M. and Rahman, M.M. ( 2011 ), `` Workplace Harassment and Productivity : A Comprehensive Role of Strategic Leadership '', Journal of General Education, Vol. 1, ISSN 2223 - 4543, p41 - 49 Jump up ^ Tehrani, N. ( 2004 ), Bullying : A source of chronic post traumatic stress ? British Journal of Guidance and Counseling, 32 ( 3 ), 357 - 366 Jump up ^ Concha - Barrientos, M., Imel, N.D., Driscoll, T., Steenland, N.K., Punnett, L., Fingerhut, M.A., Prüss - Üstün, A., Leigh, J., Tak, S.W., Corvalàn, C. ( 2004 ). Selected occupational risk factors. In M. Ezzati, A.D. Lopez, A. Rodgers & C.J.L. Murray ( Eds. ), Comparative Quantification of Health Risks. Geneva : World Health Organization. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy '' ( PDF ). Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 2014 - 03 - 07. Retrieved 2014 - 03 - 07. CS1 maint : Archived copy as title ( link ) Jump up ^ McCullagh, Declan ( 9 January 2006 ). `` Create an e-annoyance, go to jail ''. CNET news. Archived from the original on 15 March 2007. External links Library resources about Harassment Resources in your library Resources in other libraries Look up harassment or harass in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Harassment at Curlie Abuse Types Anti-social behaviour Bullying Child abuse neglect sexual military Cruelty to animals Domestic abuse Doxing Elder abuse Gaslighting Harassment Humiliation Incivility Institutional abuse Intimidation Neglect Persecution Professional abuse Proxy abuse Psychological abuse Physical abuse Religious abuse Sexual abuse Stalking Structural abuse Verbal abuse more... Related topics Abusive power and control Child grooming Complex post-traumatic stress disorder Dehumanization Denial Destabilisation Exaggeration Isolation Just - world hypothesis Lying Manipulation Minimisation Narcissism Psychological projection Psychological trauma Psychopathy Rationalization Traumatic bonding Victim blaming Victim playing Victimisation Bullying Types Abusive supervision Cyberbullying Disability bullying Doxing Gay bashing Hazing Military bullying Mobbing Parental bullying of children Passive aggression Peer victimization Prison bullying Rankism Relational aggression School bullying Sexual bullying Workplace bullying ( Academia Higher education Information technology Legal aspects Legal profession Medicine Nursing Teaching Toxic leader ) Elements Betrayal Blacklisting Bullying and emotional intelligence Bullying culture Character assassination Control Coercion Climate of fear Defamation Destabilisation Discrediting Embarrassment False accusation Gaslighting Gossip Harassment Humiliation Incivility Innuendo Insult Intimidation Isolation Kiss up kick down Mind games Moving the goalposts Nagging Name calling Personal attacks Psychological abuse Physical abuse Rudeness Sarcasm School pranks Setting up to fail Silent treatment Smear campaign Social exclusion Social undermining Taunting Teasing Whispering campaign Workplace incivility Verbal abuse Yelling Organizations Act Against Bullying Ditch the Label Bullying UK It Gets Better Project Kidscape GRIN Campaign Jer 's Vision Activists and academics Andrea Adams Louise Burfitt - Dons Tim Field SuEllen Fried Liam Hackett Heinz Leymann Gary Namie Kenneth Westhues Actions Anti-Bullying Day Anti-Bullying Week International STAND UP to Bullying Day Anti-bullying legislation International Day of Pink Notable suicides ( List ) Kelly Yeomans ( 1997 ) Hamed Nastoh ( 2000 ) Dawn - Marie Wesley ( 2000 ) Nicola Ann Raphael ( 2001 ) Ryan Halligan ( 2003 ) Megan Meier ( 2006 ) Sladjana Vidovic ( 2008 ) Phoebe Prince ( 2010 ) Tyler Clementi ( 2010 ) Jamey Rodemeyer ( 2011 ) Jamie Hubley ( 2011 ) Kenneth Weishuhn ( 2012 ) Audrie Pott ( 2012 ) Amanda Todd ( 2012 ) Jadin Bell ( 2013 ) Rehtaeh Parsons ( 2013 ) Murder -- suicides ( incidents ) Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold ( Columbine, 1999 ) Jeff Weise ( Red Lake, 2005 ) Elliot Rodger ( Isla Vista, 2014 ) Related topics Control freak Complex post-traumatic stress disorder Dehumanization Depression Emotional blackmail Just - world hypothesis Machiavellianism in the workplace Narcissism in the workplace Personal boundaries Personality disorders Psychological manipulation Psychological projection Psychological trauma Psychopathy in the workplace Scapegoating Self - esteem Social dominance orientation Suicide among LGBT youth Sycophancy Victim blaming Victim playing Victimisation Whistleblowing Types of crime Note : Crimes vary by jurisdiction. Not all types are listed here. Classes Infraction Misdemeanor Felony Summary Indictable Hybrid Against the person Assault Battery Extortion Harassment Kidnapping Identity theft Manslaughter corporate Murder Rape Robbery Sexual assault Against property Arson Blackmail Burglary Deception Embezzlement False pretenses Fraud Handling Larceny Theft Vandalism Against public order Drug possession Public order Breach of the peace Against the state Tax evasion Espionage Treason High treason Against justice Bribery Misprision of felony Obstruction Perjury Malfeasance in office Inchoate offenses Accessory Attempt Conspiracy Incitement Encouraging or assisting a crime Solicitation Common purpose WikiSource Wikiquote Wikinews Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harassment&oldid=866146827 '' Categories : Harassment Bullying Abuse Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Archived copy as title Wikipedia indefinitely move - protected pages Interlanguage link template link number All articles needing additional references Articles needing additional references from March 2018 Articles with limited geographic scope from August 2015 Articles with Curlie links Talk Contents About Wikipedia বাংলা Чӑвашла Dansk Ελληνικά Español فارسی Français 한국어 Italiano ಕನ್ನಡ Magyar 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Svenska Türkçe Українська 中文 14 more Edit links This page was last edited on 28 October 2018, at 15 : 50 ( UTC ). 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Question: what is the definition of the word harassment
Answer: behavior that demeans, humiliates or embarrasses a person