The poem is very freaky and I would be frightened if I were the target of that individual's "affections." I don't know the answer, I do believe the man should be fired, but I don't think that will help. Maybe I've just watched too much Law & Order, SVU. He IS breaking the law, maybe several. And he might be harmless, but then again he might not. The harassed individual should be very careful about being in isolated spaces, etc. (all of the precautions that one should take anyway, but often doesn't). Does the employer have any sort of security team? Are there any other resources for situations like this?
Carol Carol L. DeVolder, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Chair, Department of Psychology St. Ambrose University 518 West Locust Street Davenport, Iowa 52803 Phone: 563-333-6482 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] web: http://web.sau.edu/psychology/psychfaculty/cdevolder.htm The contents of this message are confidential and may not be shared with anyone without permission of the sender. -----Original Message----- From: Steven Specht [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Mon 2/18/2008 9:52 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] hindsight (20/20) vs. foresight (?/?) Dear Colleagues, I think this anecdote is particularly relevant in light of the various school shootings in recent years and the issue of whether folks "should have seen it coming" and related heuristics about the characteristics that folks "think" are signs (of course, mostly in hindsight) of potential danger. I had a long talk with my sister this weekend about a man in the small company (approx. 70 employees) in which she works. Seems this guy is very interested in (i.e., "stalking"?) one of the sales associates. He has sent her flowers and has subscribed her to some provocative magazines. He bought $70 worth of Girl Scout cookies when she brought in the order forms for her daughters. He recently informed the son of one of the top executives that he was writing poetry about this woman on poetry.com (and this is after he was told to stop his unusual behaviors by one of his bosses). Since poetry.com is a public site, I've taken the liberty of attaching a copy of one of his poems for your perusal. Now, what does this all "mean"? I am not about to do any analysis (I'm not a clinical psychologist... I don't even play one on TV). Anyway, I raised this issue in one of my classes this morning. Should we be alarmed by such behaviors? Should we, in foresight, "see it coming" (whatever "it" is)? Don't individuals have a right to write poetry? Should I fear for my sister? Should the police do something (they've been called and, reasonably I think, won't do anything because no crime has been committed)? Where do individual liberties clash with prevention of tragedy? I don't have any of the answers of course. But this poem is pretty freaky if you ask me. Oh yeah, and btw, should I be "worried" about the student who asked me in class on Friday whether I feel as though I am a likely target (I love this) "especially because of the courses I teach" (stats and methods)? All very interesting for psychology majors I would hope. And I think it's worth discussing as a class. --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
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