25/07/2019 Coercion - Wikipedia

Coercion
Coercion (/koʊˈɜːrʒən, -ʃən/) is the practice of forcing another party to act in an involuntary manner by use of threats
or force.[1] It involves a set of various types of forceful actions that violate the free will of an individual to induce a
desired response, for example: a bully demanding lunch money from a student or the student gets beaten. These
actions may include extortion, blackmail, torture, threats to induce favors, or even sexual assault. In law, coercion is
codified as a duress crime. Such actions are used as leverage, to force the victim to act in a way contrary to their own
interests. Coercion may involve the actual infliction of physical pain/injury or psychological harm in order to enhance
the credibility of a threat. The threat of further harm may lead to the cooperation or obedience of the person being
coerced.

Contents
Overview
Physical
Psychological
See also
Notes
References
External links

Overview
The purpose of coercion is to substitute one's aims to those of the victim. For this reason, many social philosophers
have considered coercion as the polar opposite to freedom.[2]

Various forms of coercion are distinguished: first on the basis of the kind of injury threatened, second according to its
aims and scope, and finally according to its effects, from which its legal, social, and ethical implications mostly
depend.

Physical
Physical coercion is the most commonly considered form of coercion, where the content of the conditional threat is the
use of force against a victim, their relatives or property. An often used example is "putting a gun to someone's head"
(at gunpoint) or putting a "knife under the throat" (at knifepoint or cut-throat) to compel action or the victim gets
killed or injured. These are so common that they are also used as metaphors for other forms of coercion.

Armed forces in many countries use firing squads to maintain discipline and intimidate the masses, or opposition, into
submission or silent compliance. However, there also are nonphysical forms of coercion, where the threatened injury
does not immediately imply the use of force. Byman and Waxman (2000) define coercion as "the use of threatened
force, including the limited use of actual force to back up the threat, to induce an adversary to behave differently than
it otherwise would."[3] Coercion does not in many cases amount to destruction of property or life since compliance is
the goal.

Psychological

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In psychological coercion, the threatened injury regards the victim's relationships with other people. The most obvious
example is blackmail, where the threat consists of the dissemination of damaging information. However, many other
types are possible e.g. "emotional blackmail", which typically involves threats of rejection from or disapproval by a
peer-group, or creating feelings of guilt/obligation via a display of anger or hurt by someone whom the victim loves or
respects. Another example is coercive persuasion.

Psychological coercion – along with the other varieties – was extensively and systematically used by the government of
the People's Republic of China during the "Thought Reform" campaign of 1951–1952. The process – carried out partly
at "revolutionary universities" and partly within prisons – was investigated and reported upon by Robert Jay Lifton,
then Research Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University: see Lifton (1961). The techniques used by the Chinese
authorities included a technique derived from standard group psychotherapy, which was aimed at forcing the victims
(who were generally intellectuals) to produce detailed and sincere ideological "confessions". For instance, a professor
of formal logic called Chin Yueh-lin – who was then regarded as China's leading authority on his subject – was
induced to write: "The new philosophy [of Marxism-Leninism], being scientific, is the supreme truth" [Lifton (1961)
p. 545].

See also
Abusive power and control
Coercive control
Coercive power
Deterrence (legal)
Duress in American law
Duress in English law
Marital coercion
Monopoly on violence
Punishment (psychology)

Notes
1. "Definition of coercion" (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coercion). Merriam-Webster.
2. Bhatia, Prof Dr K. L. (1 January 2010). Textbook on Legal Language and Legal Writing (https://books.google.co
m/?id=wg1dvc2lfcEC&pg=PA160&lpg=PA160&dq=%22The+purpose+of+coercion+is+to+substitute+one's+aims+t
o+those+of+the+victim.+For+this+reason,+many+social+philosophers+have+considered+coercion+as+the+polar
+opposite+to+freedom%22#v=onepage&q=%22The%20purpose%20of%20coercion%20is%20to%20substitute%
20one's%20aims%20to%20those%20of%20the%20victim.%20For%20this%20reason,%20many%20social%20p
hilosophers%20have%20considered%20coercion%20as%20the%20polar%20opposite%20to%20freedom%22&f
=false). Universal Law Publishing. ISBN 9788175348943.
3. Byman, Daniel L.; Waxman, Matthew C.: Kosovo and the Great Air Power Debate, International Security, Vol. 24,
No. 4 (Spring, 2000), pp. 5–38.

References
Anderson, Scott A. (n.d.). "Towards a Better Theory of Coercion, and a Use for It" (https://web.archive.org/web/20
050308180431/http://ptw.uchicago.edu/Anderson02.pdf) (PDF). The University of Chicago. Retrieved 12 October
2018.
Lifton, Robert J. (1961) Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism, Penguin Books.

External links
Media related to Coercion at Wikimedia Commons

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Anderson, Scott. "Coercion" (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/coercion/). In Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). Stanford

Encyclopedia of Philosophy..
Carter, Barry E. Economic Coercion (http://opil.ouplaw.com/view/10.1093/law:epil/9780199231690/law-97801992
31690-e1518?prd=EPIL), Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law (subscription required)

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