ABSTRACT
Property damage or harm to animals is not considered violence, unless carried out in a manner that is intended to cause fear of harm in others (i.e., smashing a chair, or injuring an animal,
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while stating “this is what I want to do to you!”). Acts that cause primarily psychological harm count as violence, such as stalking, unlawful connement, extortion, or kidnapping. All sexual assaults are considered violent, including those that do not cause physical harm (see Hart & Boer, Chapter 13, this volume). Including psychological harm in the denition of violence is consistent with legal principles. For instance, threats of violence, or acts that primarily cause psychological rather than physical injuries (i.e., kidnapping, extortion) can lead to legal responses such as arrest, prosecution, or involuntary civil commitment. In some countries such as Canada, “serious psychological harm” has been dened as constituting “serious bodily harm” so long as it “substantially interferes with the health or well-being of the complainant” (R. v. McCraw, 1991, p. 81). Further, including psychological harm in the denition of violence is consistent with the empirical reality that psychological damage can be as or more harmful than physical damage to a person. Acts in self-defense or the defense of others are not violence, so long as the degree of force used does not exceed that which is necessary to protect self or others. Acts that meet the denition of violence but are legally sanctioned (i.e., sports, military, law enforcement) are not considered violence unless they exceed the legal mandate that permits them.
