• Define,
recognize and
prevent sexual
harassment.
Identify the traits that are present in a
healthy and abusive relationships.
Michigan Merit Curriculum
• Social Emotional Health & Health Behaviors
– 4.1 Identify the characteristics of positive relationships, and analyze their impact
on personal, family and community health.
– 4.7 Apply decision making and problem-solving steps to generate alternative
solutions regarding social situations that could place one’s health or safety at risk.
– 4.8 Predict the potential short and long-term impacts of each alternative on self
and others, and defend the healthy choice(s).
– 5.4 Demonstrate the ability to access accurate information about personal health
products.
– 3.17 Apply strategies to hypothetical situations involving abusive relationships.
– 3.8 Demonstrate strategies to stay safe in a violent situation.
– 3.9 Apply skills and strategies for avoiding and dealing with sexual harassment and
exploitation, including when using the internet.
– 3.10 Assess characteristics of hypothetical relationships for warning sign of harm
or abuse.
– 3.7 Apply strategies to avoid and report dangerous situations including conflicts
involving weapons and gangs.
– 3.11 Analyze social pressures to refrain from telling on others or reporting
dangerous situations.
– 3.12 Analyze the role of friends and peers in the escalation of conflicts and the
promotion of violence.
Michigan Merit
• Health Behaviors
– 3.1 Explain the effects of violence on individuals, families,
communities, and our nation.
– 3.2 Describe the characteristics of situations which are
dangerous, and those that must be reported to the authorities.
– 3.3 Define and describe bullying, sexual violence, and sexual
harassment, and their effects on individuals and communities.
– 3.6 Apply strategies to access and get help for self or others.
– 3.7 Apply strategies to avoid and report dangerous situations,
including conflicts involving weapons and gangs.
– Demonstrate strategies to stay in a violent situation.
– 3.11 Analyze social pressure to refrain from telling on others or
reporting dangerous situations.
Health Terms
Relationship – is a bond or connection between
people.
Friendship – is a significant relationship
between two people based on caring,
consideration, and trust.
Role – is a part that you play in a relationship.
Cooperation – working together for the good of
all.
Compromise – is the result of each person’s
giving up something in order to reach a solution
that satisfies everyone.
Empathy – the ability to imagine and
understand how someone else feels.
Health Concepts
Relationships affect your physical, mental,
and social health.
You play many different roles in your
relationships.
Cooperation and compromise are important
aspects of a healthy relationship.
Mutual trust and respect are cornerstones or
a responsible relationship.
Good relationships take time and energy!
Relationships Self - Inventory
How do you rate? Write the numbers 1 – 10 on a page in
your workbook “notes” section. Respond by writing yes,
no, or sometimes for each item. Write yes only for the
items that you practice regularly.
1.
2.
3.
4.
I treat others with respect.
I am a good team player.
I am a trustworthy friend.
I often use compromise to resolve
differences.
Respond by writing yes, no, or sometimes for each item.
Write yes only for the items that you practice regularly.
5.
6.
7.
8.
I am willing to work at my relationships
I communicate well with others.
I am a good listener.
I ask questions if I’m not sure what is
being said.
9. I use eye contact when communicating
with others.
10.I am aware of my own body language.
Healthy Relationships
• The habits we just identified relate to building
and maintaining healthy relationships?
(Respect, team player, trustworthy,
compromise, communicate, good listener, ask
questions, eye contact, and body language)
DEFINITION OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT
 Any
unwanted and unwelcome sexual
behavior which interferes with a person’s
education or employment by creating a
hostile or intimidating learning or work
environment.
 It can be nonverbal.
 It can be verbal.
 It can involve physically touching another
person.
 Nonverbal-
 Obscene
gestures
 Suggestive looks
 Lewd notes
 Graffiti which degrades a person
 Stalking
 Pornographic material
 Cornering or blocking free movement
 Verbal-











Dirty comments
Sexual innuendoes
Gender-specific comments
Request for sexual favors
Taunting and teasing
Jokes about a person’s body, clothing, or
gender
Spreading sexual rumors
Obscene songs
Making noised (whistling, howling, etc.)
Name-calling
Physical threats
 Physical
 Unwanted
touching
 Patting and/or pinching
 Bumping
 Pushing
 Pulling at clothes
What Do You Think?
• Assignment: divide students into
groups or alone and give them
one of the following questions to
answer.
– 1. What do you think is the
difference between sexual
harassment and flirting?
– 2. Do you think both men and
women are sexually harassed?
– 3. For what reasons do you think a
person sexually harasses another
person?
 What do you think is the difference between
sexual harassment and flirting?
 Flirting: fun, friendly, can compliment another
person, can show affection, exciting,
welcomed, wanted, mutual.
 Sexual Harassment: uses power, hostile
condescending, aggressive, exploits a person,
tries to dominate or control another person,
unwelcome.
Do you think it is possible for one person to
think he/she is flirting and the recipient to
take the comments or behavior as
harassment?
 Do you think both men and women are sexually
harassed?
 Women report being harassed by men more
frequently than men report being harassed by
women. However, both men and women can and
do sexually harass others
 For what reasons do you thing a person sexually
harasses another person?
 They want to demean, control, embarrass, or
humiliate another person. Often it is because
they are unsure of themselves and trying to gain
power, status, or attention in a negative way and
at the expense of another person.
 How do you think someone who is sexually
harassed feels?
 He or she might feel afraid, anxious, ashamed,
embarrassed, angry, humiliated, devalued,
insecure, guilty, physically ill, dirty, weak,
and/or isolated. He or she might have mixed
feelings. He or she may feel flattered initially
and then angry and humiliated if the
comments and actions persist.
 Sexual harassment is against the law, at school
and at work.
 Quid Pro Quo: occurs in situations of unequal
power. It means “If you do something for me, I’ll
do something for you” or “If you don’t do
something for me, I won’t do something for you.”
(boss promise a raise for sex)
 Hostile Environment: is unwanted sexual
behavior which creates an intimidating, hostile,
or offensive atmosphere in which it is hard for an
employee to work or a student to learn.
Dealing with Sexual Harassment
• Manage your anger.
• Identify the behavior that is making you feel
uncomfortable. Tell the aggressor what is
bothering you and that you want it to stop.
• Stay calm.
• Leave the situation.
• If you can’t leave, move away from the
person.
• Tell a trusted adult. Get support from a
parent, teacher, counselor, etc. Report it to
the authorities.
• If you fear further trouble, avoid areas where
the person might be.
• Protect yourself.
Dealing with Sexual Harassment
• Say “stop” the first time it happens, not later.
• Document the incident. Record: what happened, where it
happened, when it happened, how you felt, how you
responded, what happened next, who else was there,
whether you reported it.
• Know your school’s and employer’s sexual harassment
policies.
• Do not laugh at obscene jokes or comments.
• Trust your feelings. If someone feels uncomfortable, take
steps to stop the behavior.
• Treat others with respect.
• Maintain personal space.
• Ignore the situation. (May be effective if the harasser is
looking for a reaction.)
• Seek help from an adult you trust.
Prevention:
•Avoid isolated areas
•walk confidently.
Abusive stats
• 20 percent of teens have been threatened by their
partners, or had partners threaten to hurt themselves if
the relationship ended.
• 33 percent of teens, and 50 percent of teen girls, say
they have felt pressured to have sex in a serious
relationship.
• 30 percent have worried about their safety in a
relationship, and 20 percent have been hit, slapped, or
pushed.
• 64 percent have been with a jealous or controlling
partner.
• 55 percent have compromised their standards to keep
their partner.
• 25 percent have been put down or called names by their
partner.


In our society what are the desired characteristics
and expectations for males and females? Do
these beliefs impact behavior?
In our society, it appears that males are
supposed to…
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Be in control of situations.
Like competition and want to win.
Be aggressive.
Be dominant.
Take care of females.
Be forceful.
Be powerful.
Be unemotional.
Be strong.

Females
◦ Emotional.
◦ Polite and accommodating.
◦ Passive.
◦ Submissive.
◦ Attentive to the needs of others.
◦ Nonaggressive.
◦ Dependent.
◦ Gentle.
◦ Weak.
◦ Attractive.




The characteristics and expectations that
society holds as true for men and women can
impact how they act with one another.
Many of the expectations are rigid and
limiting.
Violence in couples is often fueled by rigid
and limiting expectations held regarding the
behavior of men and women.
For example, a man might believe he is
expected to be in control of situations and
aggressive. If he dates a woman who is not
submissive, he may use aggression to try to
control the situation.






“When women say ‘no’ they mean “yes.”
“If a women comes on to me and then she says
‘no’ what am I suppose to do? I’m turned on.”
“If a person pays for dinner, the other person
owes him or her sex.”
“He or she must have asked for it.”
“I know he or she loves me. He or she takes
me nice places and gives me gifts all the time.”
I guess I deserve what I get.”





“I took charge of the situation. Isn’t that what
the guy is supposed to do?”
I got really turned on so I started touching her
even though she was pushing my hands away.”
He gets real mad sometimes, but he’s also
sweet. I guess I have to take both. I love
him.”
“Women can prevent it if they want to.”
“If it’s so bad, why doesn’t he or she leave?”





“If she didn’t want to be raped, she shouldn’t
dress that way.”
“She’s so jealous. She want me with her all
the time. I guess she really cares a lot for
me.”
“Well, she never really said ‘no.’ I thought
she meant is was okay.”
“She came back to my room and started
kissing me. So, I knew she wanted to have
sex.”
“If a guy gets really turned on, he just can’t
stop.”
ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS
• Emotional Abuse:
• name calling, put-downs, blaming, telling
someone they are crazy, public or private
humiliation, false accusations of flirting, or
infidelity, threatening physical harm or
sexual abuse, attempts to isolate the
person from friends and family.
• Physical Abuse: hitting, slapping, punching,
kicking, pinching, use of weapons.
• Sexual Abuse: forcing another person to do
anything sexual that they do not want to do,
even if they have been dating for a long time;
any sexual activity that makes another
person feel uncomfortable, afraid, degraded,
or worthless; rape (intercourse without
consent whether in marriage, with a stranger,
or with an acquaintance.
CONFLICT IN ANY RELATIONSHIP IS NORMAL, BUT
IT IS NOT NORMAL OR ACCEPTABLE TO HURT EACH
OTHER TO CONTROL OR DOMINATE THE OTHER
PERSON.
Cycle
of Abuse
 Stage One: Tension
Builds
 Stage Two: Explosion
(Abuse)
 Stage Three: The
Honeymoon.
CYCLE OF ABUSE
 Stage
One: Tension Builds
 The abuser becomes edgy and tense. He or
she seems easily irritated.
 His or her partner may feel scared or
nervous and try hard to keep the abuser
happy.
 Stage Two: Explosion
 The abuser becomes more aggressive and
verbally and/or physically attacks his or her
partner.
 His or her partner may feel like he or she
deserved the abuse and will most likely try
CYCLE OF ABUSE
 Stage





Three: The Honeymoon
The abuser attempts to keep the
relationship together.
He or she promises to change and says that
it won’t happened again.
He or she is apologetic, passionate, and often
romantic.
He or she often gives his or her partner gifts.
His or her partner believes that the or she
can change the abuser or be “good enough”
so that it won’t happen again.
 Unless
the abuser and his or her partner get
professional help, the cycle will continue no
matter what the abuser says during the
honeymoon stage.
 In fact, the violence tends to escalate and
increase in severity as long as the relationship
exist.
 Look at the page called “Warning Signs”.
 This list may help you to leave a relationship
before it gets abusive.
 Help is available, phone number on back side.
“What To Do”
• Look at the page “What to Do to Prevent and
Deal with Abusive Relationships.
• Which strategies do you think are most
effective?
• Can you suggest any other strategies or skills?
What Do You Think?
• In groups or alone read the three scenarios
and answer the questions.