PSYCHOLOGICAL HARASSMENT: what is it, types, causes and consequences

Psychological harassment is a set of abusive behaviors in the form of acts, words, writing or gestures that violate and harm the identity and / or physical and psychological dignity of the person who suffers it. It is a problem that is sometimes difficult to detect that can cause damage progressively, since, to speak of psychological harassment, the behaviors must occur insistently and not in isolation. In this Psychology-Online article we will explain what is hepsychological harassment, treating both the concept and the types, the causes and the consequences.

Index

1. What is psychological harassment?
2. 8 Types of psychological harassment
3. Causes of psychological harassment
4. Consequences of psychological harassment

In practice, the terms psychological harassment, moral harassment and mobbing are interchangeable. However, there are nuances between them that differentiate them. In this article we will focus on defining what exactly is bullying.

Psychological harassment, according to the professor in psychology and psychiatry José Luis González de Rivera, is understood as the persistent and intentional maintenance of patterns of psychological abuse that are specified in certain actions. For example:

• Threaten, ridicule, stalk, criticize, persecute a person ...
• Induce negative feelings such as fear, confusion, insecurity ...
• Interfere with her mental dynamics, make it difficult to carry out her tasks, overload with demands and expectations that the person cannot meet ...

The types of psychological harassment are the following:

School bullying or bullying

Bullying consists of any type of psychological, physical or verbal abuse or aggression carried out within the school environment, but not necessarily within the classrooms. The harasser repeatedly intimidates the victim who knows about her school environment, either alone or in a group. Here you will find more information about the bullying.

sexual harassment

Intimidating or coercive behaviors of a sexual nature, whether physical, non-verbal or, as in the specific case we are seeing, psychological. All the different behaviors that are included here can occur in different degrees, going from being mild and annoying to dangerous. In the next article we talk about What is sexual violence and how to prevent it.

Workplace harassment or mobbing

This form of harassment is characterized by occurring within the work environment. It is usually the one that occurs to a greater degree psychologically, through mockery, threats, spreading rumors... There is the possibility that these behaviors end in violence but it does not always happen. The usual characteristic is that the work environment becomes a powerful source of stress. In this article we address the Prevention and intervention of workplace harassment.

Cyber ​​bullying

Virtual harassment. The stalker uses digital media to carry out his offenses or make the victim feel uncomfortable. The main motivation of the stalker is to create psychological and emotional distress for the victim in question.

Cyber ​​bullying

Cyberbullying modality, already mentioned, more frequent. It occurs in the school environment and also enters into bullying since it is usually one more way to perpetuate bullying (through the virtual world). Here you will find more information about the cyberbullying.

Physical harassment or stalking

It consists of invasively and repeatedly persecuting the victim in order to establish contact against the victim's will. It's a really uncomfortable type of bullying.

Real estate harassment

Conduct carried out by the owners of a home or property to get tenants to decide to leave the building or cancel the rental contract against their will. Behaviors are characterized by generating a hostile environment either on a material or social level and can ranging from cutting off gas, electricity or water to deteriorating the home or refusing to make repairs.

Family harassment

Harassing behaviors and conducts that take place within the same family environment.

The causes of mobbing can be diverse. The most frequent are the feelings of jealousy and envy that bullies feel towards the victim as well as the perception that they have towards the other by some distinctive feature, be it race, social class... There are also environmental factors that generate conflicts and that can be the generators of future harassment.

In the specific case of mobbing, which is a very common typology within psychological harassment, It is also given as a cause the fact that the victim does not allow himself to be manipulated and tries not to submit to the bullying. When a person does not undergo status quo of the organization can often lead to further mobbing. The show of power on the part of the harasser is also a key factor, especially in the workplace.

The psychological consequences derived from this type of bullying can be devastating. A key factor in this type of harassment is low self-esteem, since it can be not only a consequence but also one of the causes for which the person does not defend himself. Among the most common problems derived from psychological harassment we find: anxiety, stress, isolation, mood swings, irritability, addictions, insomnia, depression ... Furthermore, it can often take victims a long time to realize that they are experiencing this type of harassment.

In some cases it is common for the consequences to appear:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder. Stressful behaviors that are repeated for so long that the victim feels alert and not only psychological but also physical stress. Here you will find How to help a person with PTSD.
• Adapatative disorder. Show a greater discomfort than expected in response to a stressful situation and a significant deterioration of social and work activity.
• Generalized anxiety disorder. Excessive worry and anxiety about a wide range of activities in at least a six-month period that causes a constant state of insecurity in the individual. Here you can see symptoms and treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.
• Mood disorders. Depressive feelings and states, insomnia, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, decreased ability to concentrate ...

This article is merely informative, in 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 Psychological harassment: what is it, types, causes and consequences, we recommend that you enter our category of Social psychology.

• Ávila, A. & Bernal, V. & Alzate, L. (2016). What are the causes and consequences of workplace harassment or mobbing? Electronic Magazine Psyconex, 8(13).
• González, J.L. (2005). Psychological harassment and its dynamics. The keys to mobbing, Editorial EOS. Recovered from: https://luisderivera.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/2005-EL-ACOSO-PSICOLOGICO-Y-SUS-DINAMICAS.pdf
• Trujillo, M.M. & Valderrabano, M.L. & Hernández, R. (2007). Mobbing: history, causes, effects and proposal of a model for Mexican organizations. INNOVATE. Journal of Administrative and Social Sciences, 17(29).