Intimidation - Any form of veiled, hidden, indirect or non-verbal threat.
The Hint of Danger
Intimidation is a form of passive aggressive threat made when someone wants to scare you in a veiled manner which is hard to challenge or hold them accountable for. The underlying message is usually some variant of “I am stronger than you.”
What it Looks Like
Destruction or damage of an object which has some worth or significance to the victim.
Cruelty to animals in the sight of a victim.
Cruelty shown to another person in the sight of the victim.
Self harm in the sight of the victim.
Threatening language directed away from the victim but in their hearing.
Being “extra nice” to the victim while physically demonstrating violent or mock-violent behavior.
How it Feels
Intimidation is a form of threat and is designed to produce feelings of fear. It can also generate feelings of confusion, self-doubt and anxiety as it is form of violent behavior which may seem hard to substantiate or explain to others.
Learning To Cope
The best approach to dealing with intimidation is to remove the audience, and the victim, and recruit professional help to deal with the threatening behavior. It may also be helpful to document the incidents, so you have a clear recollection of what happened if you ever need it.
What NOT to Do
- Don’t stay in the same room with a person who behaves in a threatening way.
- Don’t leave children vulnerable to violence.
- Don’t play down threatening behavior or fool yourself into thinking it doesn’t hurt you or that you can deal with it.
- Don’t try to deal with intimidation alone.
What TO Do
- Quickly, calmly and without drama, leave the room, the house, the company of anyone who subjects you to intimidating behavior.
- Call the police and report any acts of violence against you, property, animals or other people.
- Get support and discuss your concerns with someone who cares about you and who understands Personality Disorders