Escalating commitment to a relationship: The sexual harassment trap

Divergent perceptions of sexual harassment were explored in a case of a perpetrator's gradual sexual advancements and a target's escalating commitment to their relationship. Participants were 60 male and 60 female undergraduate students from a private midwestern university. Approximately 7% were minority members. Males and females interpreted the male perpetrator's actions differently, particularly when the female target made prior commitments to a friendly relationship. Specifically, males' ratings of sexual harassment decreased when the female target participated in increasingly informal, friendly interactions. Females ratings remained relatively constant despite the target's reactions. Attributions and reactions to the harassment also were influenced. Interestingly, as the target's commitment increased, both males and females reported a lower likelihood that the target would seek help.This study was part of the second author's master's thesis at Drake University. An earlier version of the study was presented at the 6th Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, St. Louis, Missouri, April 1991. The authors would like to thank John Binning, Michael Ford, William Klipec, Paula Radefeld, and LaVerne Rogers for their contributions to this research.