<p><a href="https://londonwingchun.co.uk/dr-mark-phillips/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Dr Mark Phillips promotes himself as an expert in violent behaviour, martial arts/self defence instructor, and security consultant.</a> I have been watching his YouTube channel in order to get tips on some quick and easy self defence tips. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KtFYqjTdik&amp;t=158s" rel="nofollow noreferrer">In one of his videos</a> he was discussing how to avoid violence in the first place, and I have been left a little at odds with his theory, which just seems way to simplistic, and perhaps even paranoid.</p>
<p>The scenario is that you are walking down the street and a bully stops and stares at you in an intimidating manner. Dr Mark Phillips says that if your first reaction is to look away then this will tell the bully that you are scared, and that this will make you a potential victim, so what you do is you look at the bully and then look away and continue walking. He explains that the action of glancing at the bully tells the bully that you are not scared, and it also validates the bully's ego, but does not go so far as to acknowledge the bully's bad behaviour, and then by looking away you are telling the bully that you simply do not see the importance of continuing this staring match and you walk away.</p>
<p>Is there any evidence from psychology that a strategy like this would work?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-12-14T14:52:57.250Z
I've narrowed your question down to something that I think might be answerable; Stack Exchange frowns on opinion-based questions like "what do you think", and we're looking for focused questions that help build a repository of knowledge.
Bryan Krause
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-12-14T16:05:36.227Z
@Bryan Krause I agree, the question and body looks much more academic and professional now.
John Strachan
<social-psychology>
Is there evidence in psychology that making brief eye contact with a bully communicates a lack of fear and prevents physical conflict?
John Strachan
# Is there evidence in psychology that making brief eye contact with a bully communicates a lack of fear and prevents physical conflict?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-12-14)

[Dr Mark Phillips promotes himself as an expert in violent behaviour, martial arts/self defence instructor, and security consultant.](https://londonwingchun.co.uk/dr-mark-phillips/) I have been watching his YouTube channel in order to get tips on some quick and easy self defence tips. [In one of his videos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KtFYqjTdik&t=158s) he was discussing how to avoid violence in the first place, and I have been left a little at odds with his theory, which just seems way to simplistic, and perhaps even paranoid.

The scenario is that you are walking down the street and a bully stops and stares at you in an intimidating manner. Dr Mark Phillips says that if your first reaction is to look away then this will tell the bully that you are scared, and that this will make you a potential victim, so what you do is you look at the bully and then look away and continue walking. He explains that the action of glancing at the bully tells the bully that you are not scared, and it also validates the bully's ego, but does not go so far as to acknowledge the bully's bad behaviour, and then by looking away you are telling the bully that you simply do not see the importance of continuing this staring match and you walk away.

Is there any evidence from psychology that a strategy like this would work?

**Tags:** social-psychology

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I've narrowed your question down to something that I think might be answerable; Stack Exchange frowns on opinion-based questions like "what do you think", and we're looking for focused questions that help build a repository of knowledge.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 I agree, the question and body looks much more academic and professional now.  

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## 0 answers

