Intimidation is derived from the verb intimidate, and it comes from the Latin word , it means to "make timid." Intimidation is defined as an interaction style that emphasizes on "bullying, exploiting, or manipulating others, solely for one's own advantage." Intimidation may be employed consciously or unconsciously, and a percentage of people who employ it consciously may do so as the result of selfishly rationalized notions of its appropriation, utility or self-
empowerment. Intimidation related to
prejudice and
discrimination may include conduct "which annoys, threatens, intimidates, alarms, or puts a person in fear of their safety...because of a belief or perception regarding such person's race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation, regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct." Intimidation may manifest into coercion or threat with physical contacts, glowering countenance or in its own manner as
emotional manipulation,
verbal abuse, making someone feel lower than you, purposeful
embarrassment and/or actual physical assault. "Behavior may become
harassment in forms of epithets, derogatory comments or slurs and lewd propositions, assault, impeding or blocking movement, offensive touching or any physical interference with normal work or movement, and visual insults, such as derogatory posters or cartoons." Like all behavioral traits, it exists in greater or lesser manifestation in each individual person over time, but may be a more significant "compensatory behavior" for some as opposed to others. Behavioral theorists often see threatening behaviours as a consequence of being threatened by others, including parents,
authority figures, playmates and siblings. For self-defense,
use of force is justified when a person reasonably believes that it the force is necessary to defend themself or another against the immediate use of unlawful force. ==As a criminal offense==