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Self Defense Study
For both men and women some form of self-defense can be better than none, even in an area like St. George.
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, www.rainn.org, one out of every six women and one out of every 33 men in America will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.
Tim Eicher, associate professor of family and consumer sciences, said sexual assault may not be rape, but it is any sexual behavior that makes a woman, or man, uncomfortable.
"I talked about sexual assault in my class today and four or five people had to leave; I had some students in tears," Eicher said.
Eicher said one of the first lines of defense is gut instinct. He said humans use judgment in a possibly dangerous situation by comparing the situation with past experiences.
"Women are socialized so heavily not to make anybody uncomfortable that they become experts in overriding their own intuitional safety responses," Eicher said. "What men would find normal [to say no to], women might find it harder to do because they're worried about the feelings of the other person."
There are seven survival signals women often ignore, Eicher said, which are listed in "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin De Becker. These signals are specific behaviors that a perpetrator may use; usually there is more than one signal present.
1. Forced teaming: Any action that would make you and the perpetrator a team. This includes questions such as "Do you need help with your bag?" or "Let me help you move that."
2. Too many details: When a person reveals too much information, or talks about anything and everything, he or she is trying to create an intimate relationship, Eicher said.
3. Charm and niceness: A perpetrator can be overly charming.
4. Loan sharking: The perpetrator will create the image of debt with a victim by saying things such as "Well now you owe me."
5. Type casting: Playing on a person's need of acceptance by saying things like, "Oh don't be so uptight" or "Are you one of those girls?"
6. The unsolicited promise: When a person makes a promise without being asked.
7. Discounting a no: If a person doesn't take no for an answer or discounts a person's boundaries.
Eicher said these signals usually show up in bunches.
"Guys who are not on the scam don't need to use [the seven methods] because they're genuine and respectful," Eicher said. "Every one of these crosses a boundary."
Each of the seven survival signals should instantly set off a flag, and people should learn to trust that initial gut feeling, he said.
"Discounting a no should set off a red flag right away," he said. "Anyone who discounts a no has an agenda, and it's not likely to be yours. At that point you want to create space quickly."
There are legal rules of escalation of violence if a person feels he or she is in a bad situation. The victim of a situation can escalate violence and go one step further than the perpetrator in his or her defense.
"Typically the way escalation goes is I can verbally say something or leave and tell you to stop [if a perpetrator says something]," Eicher said. "If they escalate verbally or I believe you might attack me I can hit you. If he touches her she can touch him back legally. If he attacks her she can use a weapon, and if he comes after with a weapon, she can kill him legally."
The difference between self-defense and just hurting someone, Eicher said, is if the person premeditates attacking the perpetrator while the perpetrator is not attacking.
Samantha Durfee, a sophomore history major from Pomona, Calif., said she feels it's important for people to be prepared in case of a bad situation.
"I have heard stories about rape this year, and it is possible in St. George walking around in the dark," she said. "When my dad found out I was walking to and from work in the dark he sent me pepper spray."
Durfee said she feels safe on campus since there are usually a lot of people around.
"If you feel like you need [to take a self-protection class], you should take it," Durfee said. "If you can't take a class, ask a security guard or policeman and get advice from them."
There is a self-protection class offered on campus every semester by Eicher. He teaches students about domestic violence, stalking and how to recognize a predator, as well as practicing boundaries.
Demario Goings, a freshman history major from Las Vegas, said it's a good thing to know self-defense in case a person needs it.
"I think feeling protected is almost like a mechanism; if you don't feel safe in an environment, why stay there?"
he said said.
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