Assault/Harrasment Types:
Down below, we will learn what and why something is considered assault/harassment with a psychological explanation, trauma research, and power imbalance terms in detail, but also understandable.
These clear, scientific, and judgment-free explanations are given for the questions, such as "why my situation is harassment."
WHAT COUNTS AS HARASSMENT/ASSAULT ?
Now we will break down each of them into categories. But first, you need to know these 4 rules:
1. If there is no consent, it is harassment.
2. If there is a power imbalance, consent is regarded as invalid.
3. If it harms a person's body, personal lines, or mental state, it is harassment.
4. If someone continues to do something that a person has refused over and over again, it is harassment.
Consent is giving a clear approval consisting of free will without any pressure.
Being afraid, pressured, frozen, surprised → these are not equal to giving consent.
Examples: teacher/student, boss/employee, older/younger, intoxicated/sober.
A. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF VERBAL HARASSMENT/ASSAULT ?
Catcalling:
Why is it harassment?
• Claims a right on a person's body without their approval.
• Destroys the sense of security while on the street.
• A person exposed to this can't move on to daily life as usual, feeling as if they are being watched.
• This behavior involves sexual implications without a clear consent.
Psychologically:
Objectification of one's body creates a stress similar to trauma and makes a person feel objectified or simply worthless.
Making Sexual Implications:
Why is it harassment?
• It means: "I see you as a sexual object and I think I have the right to say it to you."
• Sexual content in any form requires consent; without it, the action is called sexual harassment.
• Puts someone under pressure, makes them feel frightened.
Insulting and Degrading
Why is it harassment?
• Attacks the sense of self-respect and trust.
• When it is often, it is the first step of psychological abuse.
• Breaks the sense of self-confidence.
B. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL HARASSMENT/ASSAULT ?
Manipulation:
Why is it harassment?
• A person is led into an action without their genuine consent.
• Through manipulation, free will is suppressed by feelings of guilt, pressure, or false responsibility.
• This is a form of harassment that occurs not through physical force, but by coercing someone into feeling they have no choice.
Gaslighting:
Why is it harassment?
• Makes someone question their sanity.
• The victim hesitates, thinking if they have done something wrong.
• Makes a person vulnerable and dependent.
In psychology, this counts as one of the most dangerous forms of emotional abuse.
Extreme Controlling Behavior:
Why is it harassment?
• A person’s personal space and way of living are interfered with.
• The message given is: “You must live according to my rules.”
• Over time, this behavior makes the person become dependent without even realizing it.
Restricting someone’s freedom is a form of abuse.
C. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF PHYSICAL HARASSMENT/ASSAULT ?
Unsolicited Touch:
Why is it harassment?
• The body is a person’s private space.
• Without consent, even the lightest touch violates bodily integrity.
• The body records it as a threat in memory.
“I didn’t want it” → this alone is enough.
Forcefully Kissing:
Why is it harassment?
Kissing is either an emotional or erotic gesture that requires consent.
If someone doesn't want it → it is sexual harassment.
Physical Contact When Someone Is Asleep/Drunk:
Why is it harassment?
Because one can't consent WILLINGLY and CLEARLY.
This counts as sexual assault.
D. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF DIGITAL HARASSMENT/ASSAULT ?
Consistent Messages / Stalking:
Why is it harassment?
• Constant pressuring online is equal to physical harassment.
• Harrasing someone online is just the digital version of the in-person assault.
Sending Unsolicited Sexual Content:
Why is it harassment?
• Exposing someone to sexual content is the same thing as showing it directly.
• Creates shock, fear, and disgust.
Digital Blackmail:
Why is it harassment?
• One is controlled with threats.
• Psychological abuse + sexual harassment
E. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT/ASSAULT ?
Pressuring Someone into Sexual Intercourse:
Why is it harassment?
If someone agrees under pressure, it is NOT real consent.
For example, if you agree after someone:
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Keeps insisting
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Sulks or stops talking when you refuse
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Threatens you
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Says things like, “I’m your boyfriend/girlfriend, you have to do it if I want”
Then your consent is not valid.
Intimate Partner Violence:
Why is it harassment?
Being in a relationship is not lifelong consent.
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If someone says “no” → There is no consent.
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If someone freezes → There is no consent.
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If someone feels pressured → There is no consent.
No one has “rights” over another person just because they are in a relationship.
There should always be boundaries.
Rape
Why is it assault?
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It includes forced sexual penetration.
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There is no consent.
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It causes serious trauma.
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Legally, it is the most serious sexual crime.
If there is no clear consent, it is assault.
Unsolicited Sexual Touch:
Why is it harassment?
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Sexual contact without consent should never be tolerated.
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It can cause a person to freeze, panic, and lose control.
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Even if it is meant as a “joke,” it still counts as harassment.
F. Grey Areas and Why They Also Count as Harassment/Assault:
IN CONCLUSION:
What makes an act harassment/assault?
✔ There is no consent
✔ There is a power imbalance
✔ There is no freedom = no free will
✔ Personal boundaries are crossed
✔ Harms a person physically or emotionally
✔ There is no sense of security
✔ Even if someone couldn't say "no", it still is not consent
Freeze Response
If someone cannot move (freezes) or respond verbally, they cannot give consent.
This is a trauma response.
Consent Given Under Pressure
“I did it because you would get mad.”
“I couldn’t say no.”
“I didn’t know what else to do.”
If one of these sentences, or similar ones, has crossed your mind, then you did not give clear consent.
Consent given under pressure is invalid.
Behaviors That Children Cannot Understand
Children cannot properly understand the concept of consent.
That is why any sexual behavior toward children is automatically considered assault.
That's it for our lesson today. Thank you for learning with us!