Harassment
Offensive behavior that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person.
Harassment encompasses a wide range of offensive behaviors that demean, humiliate, and intimidate a person. In a legal sense, it refers to disturbing, upsetting, or threatening actions, which may evolve from discriminatory grounds and can nullify or impair a person's rights. When bullying behaviors become repetitive, they are defined as harassment, distinguishing it from insult through continuity and the aspect of distressing, alarming, or threatening. Harassment also constitutes a tactic of coercive control deployed by an abuser and is a specific form of discrimination.
The English word "harassment" is attested from 1753, combining the verb "harass" with the suffix "-ment." The verb itself entered English from French, where it was recorded in 1572 meaning torment or annoyance, and by 1609 also referred to exhaustion. The French verb "harasser" first appears in a 1527 Latin-to-French translation of Thucydides, where it meant to exhaust an enemy through repeated raids, and in a 1562 military song describing a gaunt, overtired horse. Etymologists have proposed several origins. One hypothesis traces it to the 14th-century French terms "harace" or "harache," used in phrases meaning to pursue or to take someone under constraint. These may relate to the interjections "hare" and "haro," cries of distress or commands to dogs, with the latter recorded from 1180. Another theory connects "harasser" to "haras," a word from 1160 referring to a group of horses constrained for breeding, and by 1280 to the enclosure itself. The root of "haras" may be the Old Scandinavian "hârr," meaning grey horsehair, with a Romanic suffix. A controversial link to the Arabic word for horse has also been suggested. While the French origin is undisputed, some dictionaries propose a derivation from an Old French verb "harer," though this verb is not found in major French etymological references. The American Heritage Dictionary treats this origin as only possible.
Harassment can occur online, where it may involve repeated obscenities, unwanted comments, or the sharing of private information, images, or videos without consent. Online impersonation also falls under this category. When such behavior targets a person’s age, sex, race, religion, gender, nationality, disability, or sexual orientation, it constitutes discrimination.
Quick Facts
- Known for
- Offensive behavior that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates; a form of discrimination and coercive control
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Harassment encompasses a broad spectrum of offensive behaviors, commonly understood as actions that demean, humiliate, and intimidate a person. In a legal context, these behaviors are disturbing, upsetting, or threatening. When bullying becomes repetitive, it is defined as harassment; this continuity, along with the element of distress or alarm, distinguishes it from a simple insult. Harassment also functions as a tactic of coercive control, often deployed by an abuser, and is a specific form of discrimination that can nullify a person’s rights or impair their ability to exercise them. While some harassment evolves from discriminatory grounds, in certain jurisdictions a connection to a person’s protected characteristics is required for legal qualification, though this is not universal. Although harassment typically involves persistent behavior, serious and malicious one-off incidents may also be considered harassment in some cases.
The term entered English in 1753, derived from the verb harass plus the suffix -ment. The verb itself came from French, attested in 1572 meaning torment, annoyance, or trouble, and by 1609 also referred to exhaustion. The French verb harasser first appears in a 1527 Latin-to-French translation of Thucydides, where it allegedly meant to exhaust the enemy by repeated raids, and in a 1562 military chant describing a gaunt horse as overtired. A hypothesis traces the verb to the 14th-century words harace or harache, used in phrases like “to pursue” or “to take under constraint.” These may relate to the interjection haro, an exclamation of distress recorded since 1180, or hare, a command to dogs. Another theory links harasser to haras, which from 1160 denoted a group of horses constrained for breeding, and later the enclosure itself, with the word’s origin possibly from the Old Scandinavian hârr (grey horsehair) plus the Romanic suffix -as. The American Heritage Dictionary notes this origin as only possible.
Reader's Guide
Harassment is significant as a legal and social concept that addresses behaviors ranging from mild irritation to serious abuses. It is understood as a specific form of discrimination, often requiring a connection to protected personal characteristics in some jurisdictions, though serious one-off incidents may also qualify. Types include online harassment, which can involve multiple repeating obscenities, unwanted comments, and impersonation; police harassment, involving unfair treatment by law officials; power harassment in workplaces; psychological harassment that lowers self-esteem; and landlord harassment, which creates uncomfortable conditions to induce tenant abandonment. The term's etymology involves disputed origins, including possible links to Old French 'harace' or 'harache', the interjection 'hare' or 'haro', and the word 'haras' referring to a group of horses. The American Heritage Dictionary notes the origin only as possible.
Did You Know?
- Online harassment may include sharing information about a person they did not want shared.
- Landlord harassment is the willing creation of uncomfortable conditions to induce a tenant to abandon a rental contract.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Harassment in the context of crime and justice?
Harassment refers to a sustained pattern of threatening, upsetting, or intimidating actions directed at a person. It goes beyond a single rude remark and involves ongoing behavior that undermines a person's dignity and legal rights.
How does Harassment differ from a one-time insult?
The key distinction lies in repetition and the resulting distress. While an insult is a single offensive act, harassment is defined by its continuous nature and the alarm or fear it produces in the target over time.
How is Harassment connected to discrimination?
Harassment can operate as a specific manifestation of discrimination, especially when the offensive behavior is rooted in protected characteristics. In that sense, it serves as both a standalone violation and a subset of discriminatory conduct.
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