Citation

Bales A, Spar J. Psychiatry Psychol. Law. 2016; 23(3): 388-394.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Law, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13218719.2015.1055854

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

False allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace can be made for a variety of reasons, some of which may fall into the realm of 'factitious' claims. Factitious sexual harassment claims are those in which the plaintiff's wish for victim designation is a major driving force behind the claim. Being aware of potential internal and external incentives in these evaluations may be of assistance to the mental health expert when considering alternative explanations for the plaintiff's perception of events. This article proposes the use of psychodynamic principles to aid the forensic evaluator in considering the conscious and unconscious factors that may be operating to contribute to the development of a false sexual harassment claim. The concepts of repetition compulsion, displacement, denial, misattribution and reaction formation will be used as a framework to explore potential internal incentives operating in a plaintiff to bring about such claims.