Sexual harassment occurs on the street and in the C-Suite, yet there is a vast difference in reporting. Unequal workplace dynamics that emphasize power differentials between perpetrators and victims are most likely to create an environment of nonreporting when the predator is the boss. But there is more to the story. Research explains.

Tuyen K. Dinh et al. (2002), in a piece entitled “When ‘Good People’ Sexually Harass,” examined the role of power and moral licensing on the intent to sexually harass, as well as the perception of such behavior.[i] Exploring a responsibility-focused form of power on sexual harassment perceptions and intentions, they provided a method of viewing sexual harassment through a novel lens instead of focusing on negative characterizations of harassment perpetrators.

They recognize that even people who wield power responsibly to protect other people are not immune from the temptation to engage in bad behavior, including sexual harassment. They use the examples of the #MeToo movement-era “heroes” who fell from grace,........

© Psychology Today