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Institutional Harassment: Divorce, Abuse, and the Legal System offers a psychological approach to the instances of harassment within the justice system related to cases of divorce. Miguel Clemente recognizes that this harassment often goes unaddressed and pays particular attention to the effects this has on children. He covers several forms of harassment including intimate partner aggression, sexual abuse of children, the unscientific parental alienation syndrome, and the weaponization of the legal system from aggressors seeking revenge.

Despite its ubiquity, revenge is a surprisingly understudied subject. We're all familiar with the urge for payback, but where does that urge come from? Why is it so hard to give up? And why can some people only satisfy it through extreme and brutal acts? This book addresses these questions, and by developing the concept of radical revenge it gives some meaning to what might otherwise appear to be senseless acts of violence. The author explores some of the most egregious examples of radical revenge in contemporary society, including mass shootings, internet trolling, revenge porn, and contemporary populist politics. Drawing on psychoanalytic ideas about shame, envy and thin-skinned narcissism, she discusses why some people feel compelled to engage in these sorts of destructive acts of radical revenge. She looks too at examples such as the work of Artemisia Gentileschi and David Holthouse, to show that in exceptional cases, revenge can be an act of creativity rather than destruction.

Facilitated by developments in technologies, the non-consensual posting of sexually explicit images of someone else for revenge, entertainment or political motive – so-called revenge porn – has become a global phenomenon. This groundbreaking book argues that fundamental and recurring issues about how victims are violated can be understood in terms of gender and sexual dynamics and constructions, binary gender and sexual positioning and logics, and the use of sexual meanings. Using a discourse analytical approach the authors examine revenge pornography through the words of the perpetrators themselves and study the complex ways in which they invoke, and deploy, gender- and sexuality-based discourses to blame the victim. They explore strategies to curb the phenomenon of revenge porn, and by placing their research in a broader social and political context, the authors are able to examine the effectiveness of current legislative frameworks, education and awareness raising, victim support and perpetrator re-education programmes, along with wider political considerations. This enhanced understanding of the perpetrator mindset provides important insights into the use of social media to facilitate gender violence, and holds the promise of more effective interventions in future. This is a unique resource for students, academics, researchers, and professionals interested in revenge pornography and related issues.