What Constitutes Coercion - Essay Example

What Constitutes Coercion? Coercion is fundamentally the overwhelming of a person’s will by threat of force or force, or via noticeable forms like fraud. The application of coercion is the manner in which a group of people or person forcibly imposes their will on others or another person. Legally, no one has the right to initiate threat of force or force against other people if they have not done anything to harm or violate the rights of other people. Coercion is therefore constituted in forcing an individual or a group of people to act involuntarily by use of intimidation or threats, force or pressure. Legally in the law, coercion is a duress crime. This action is used to force the victim as leverage to act in a desired manner. Coercion involves actual psychological harm, physical injury or pain infliction in order to promote the credibility of threats. This threat of continuous harm may result into the person being coerced to cooperate and remain obedient. Coercion becomes torture when it is extremely applied, for instance infliction of severe pain in a person until a desired response is got from the victim. Coercion involves various levels. The strongest form of coercion entails killing a victim. Another level of coercion is threatening to take the life of a person unless the person remains obedient. Threats of robbing, beating, or incarcerate makes another level of coercion. Some of the strong forms of coercion include threat of force, force or even deadly force on people. Government law enforcing agencies such as police operates with various levels of coercion. For instance, threatening to apply force on a criminal in order to get a confession is police work, but actual torture is police misconduct. As a police force, criminals may be compelled to give a testimony and in the process some threat of force may be used. This remains police work as long as the deadly force is not applied on the victim. Any subsequent torture or force on the victim who has already confessed or not is considered police misconduct. In cases where police successfully retrieves information from a criminal by use of force or intimidation, then we can proudly say, the means justifies the end. At that level, coercion is acceptable especially if the case was a matter of national security. However, the level of the acceptable coercion need to be measured in terms of seriousness to avoid cases where a victim ends up dead in the process of interrogation by a law enforcement agency. Blackmail, compelling a person to perform particular action or make payment, or be hurt or harmed, is another level of coercion. Extortion is another level of coercion where one unjustifiably obtains promise or money by force or violence or intimidation. The use of fraud or misrepresentation in order to induce an individual to act in away against his or her will. Much of the government operations remain at this level. The sophisticated criminal, embezzler or conman also falls in this level. These are people who lie to get your money or brain washes an individual. There is an acceptable coercion in government. This happens where a person buys a product that is taxable. For instance, when one buys gas for his or her own car, part of their money goes to the government in form of taxation. Whenever one pays tax, they are coerced indirectly. This level of coercion is acceptable as no one is harmed in the process. The ethical implications of the predatory coercion of individual are very straight forward. Some activists have attempted to give an extension of similar ethical judgment to the non predatory coercion forms by people. The ethical standing of broader forms of particular coercion such as thought and political coercion is very much controversial in the assumed lines that relate to the relationship between freedom and coercion considered as an ethical value in it. There has been a Whig liberal tradition that freedom is merely lack of specific coercion. In this particular view, any form of coercion is unethical in itself like injury to the freedom. The ethical value of freedom is founded in the idea that something that cannot be coerced is conscience, and hence it’s the ultimate morality standard. Coercion involves some particular aspects where some level is acceptable especially if it will result into protecting the rights of the people and the state. In such cases, the means of coercion justifies its end. For instance, in research studies involving employees, some coercion may be used in order to get the desired response. Some particular employees may not accept the questionnaires; in this case, coercion is necessary and may be acceptable to some standards or level. This level may be measured by the seriousness of the coercion itself. In the same note, confidentiality is protected of the employees. That is an acceptable level of coercion. The participation of employees may raise questions on the employee ability to exercise their free choice. For instance, there is probability that the decision to get involved could influence the evaluation of their performance or their job advancement. In coercion scenario, declining participation may lead to loss of employee benefits. In situations where undue influence is involved, participation decision may influence job promotion. In addition, employees look at their employers as figures of authority to whom they have to exhibit deference, which may probably undermine their freedom to choose. If a satisfaction survey is achieved successfully, then means of that level of coercion justifies its end and is acceptable. The law enforcement agencies and government bodies may apply intimidating methods in the process of their investigation. For example, threatening victims to extend harsh penalties. Such kind of coercion is legal typically. Usually, some form of plea bargain is used as an incentive to cooperate. For instance, the police may decide to offer reduction or drop of criminal charges in return of full cooperation of the suspect. In such case, the coercion used is police work and not police misconduct. Socially, people may talk of cultural coercion such as reciting a creed publicly, putting on certain mode of dressing, pledge of allegiance which is ethically reprehensible, and beginning to smoke against their will or interest. Such falls in psychological coercion if the fear of such activities results from purposeful threats by a person. This level of coercion is not acceptable as the level of their seriousness is of high standard and may lead to a victim committing suicide out of fear of behaving in a manner against their will. The scope of coercion is defined by the person or group of people who uses threats conditionally against someone. A personal or specific coercion occurs when a small group or a particular individual decides upon a conditional threat against other people or group of people. Thought and predatory forms of coercion fall under this category of coercion. Unspecific or impersonal coercion forms another type of coercion. In this case, the conditional threats originate from a socially acceptable and well known general rules and not by a sub group or individual and directed to anyone in the conditions stated as mentioned in the principles of the process. This unspecific coercion in its broad sense is similar to the rule of law; however, it should not be confused as the monopoly of the state coercion. In attempts to use acceptable coercion, ideological coercion attempts to modify the political and social philosophy of the people. This is distinct from plain propaganda or the simple political opponent’s persecution since the objective is to force conversions of individual ideology. Contrary to religious coercion, it is a recent phenomenon that is confined to the regimes of totalitarian in the twentieth century. An acceptable coercion may also be found between pedagogic and predatory coercion. Organizations use some level of coercion to enforce patterns of the division of labor on their members in order to obtain the goals and objectives of the organization. This however is not consistent with the aims of the employees. A typical illustration is the command system in military which is the government. The punishment system in the disciplinary coercion sees members forced to exercise an altruistic behavior which is mostly in the interest of the organization or group. Works Cited Rhodes, Michael. "The Nature of Coercion", Journal of Value Inquiry, 2000, 34 (2/3) Read More