Expert discusses workplace violence, victimology

By Anna PedronJuly 28, 2016

Expert discusses workplace violence, victimology
Donna Ferguson, deputy division chief of the Behavioral Science, Education and Training Department, U.S. Army Military Police School, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., discusses victimology and Sexual Harassment / Assault Response and Prevention issues with Fo... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Soldiers and Civilian Employees of the U.S. Army Medical Department Activity Fort Drum attended a myriad of victimology and Sexual Harassment / Assault Response and Prevention discussion sessions presented July 14-15 by Donna Ferguson, deputy division chief of the Behavioral Science Education and Training Department, U.S. Army Military Police School, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

"I was invited to Fort Drum and to talk about victimology," Ferguson told the audience. "And there are different dimensions of victimology. So what I want to talk about this afternoon is the victim in you."

Ferguson explained that each individual's background shapes his or her decision-making process, and many make decisions based on their personal experience or traumatic events they may have gone through or witnessed.

"And those experiences aren't always positive, which means bad decisions are being made without (people) realizing it," she said. "The only people that hurt people are (people who are hurting), but most of them don't even know they are hurting. And you will be able to work with people better when you learn to understand those hurts.

"Most of you don't know much about each other at all -- you know only what your co-workers choose to share, or what you can see. But what you're actually seeing could be the manifestations of traumatic events of a person in some way."

Using a tree as an analogy, Ferguson explained that every person starts as a seed. Each seed is different (different religion, race, sex, etc.), but all are the same at the basic level (human). With each life experience (water), that seed grows, putting down roots (what we don't see) and bearing fruit (what we do see).

Following that line of thinking, she gave an example of someone in the workplace being more aggressive towards men; co-workers might think that person is simply rude or trying to prove something (fruit), but what they might not know is that person may have been abused by male relatives while growing up and may carry fear or animosity towards men (roots).

"A huge part of the reason there are so many problems in the workplace is a lack of basic understanding or knowledge of each other by co-workers," she explained.

So what's the solution?

"While it is usually a human relationship that hurts people, it's also usually a human relationship that heals people," Ferguson explained. "So we start having conversations. We start learning about each other, and then making decisions or judgment calls based on what we know, and not what we think we know.

"And even if you don't want to change, change is still happening. Whatever you practice, you become."

During her two day-visit, Ferguson also addressed Fort Drum DENTAC personnel and discussed victimology and Sexual Harassment / Assault Response and Prevention and ways to mitigate workplace unrest and violence.