Coercion vs. Duress — What's the Difference?

Influence or pressure to ensure compliance or obedience.

A legal defense claiming actions were taken under immediate threat.

Applying undue pressure in negotiations or decisions.

Pressure that overcomes free will, typically involving threats of harm.

A method of control through threats or force.

Compulsion by threat or force to perform an act.

The act of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats.

The use of unlawful threats to compel someone to act.

The use of power to compel action against someone's will.

A situation where actions are performed out of fear of violence or retaliation.

Coercion () is compelling a party to act in an involuntary manner by use of threats, including propaganda or force. It involves a set of various types of forceful actions that violate the free will of an individual to induce a desired response, for example: a bully demanding lunch money from a student or the student gets beaten.

Compulsion by threat or violence; coercion

The act or practice of coercing.

Constraint or difficulty caused by misfortune

Power or ability to coerce.

A fraud achieved through the use of a threat or compulsion

(uncountable) Actual or threatened force for the purpose of compelling action by another person; the act of coercing.

A criminal defense for an act undertaken under threat of serious bodily harm

Use of physical or moral force to compel a person to do something, or to abstain from doing something, thereby depriving that person of the exercise of free will.

Forcible confinement.

(countable) A specific instance of coercing.

(obsolete) Harsh treatment.

Conversion of a value of one data type to a value of another data type.

Constraint by threat.

The process by which the meaning of a word or other linguistic element is reinterpreted to match the grammatical context.

(legal) Restraint in which a person is influenced, whether by lawful or unlawful forceful compulsion of their liberty by monition or implementation of physical enforcement; legally for the incurring of civil liability, of a citizen's arrest, or of subrogation, or illegally for the committing of an offense, of forcing a contract, or of using threats.

The act or process of coercing.

To put under duress; to pressure.

The application to another of either physical or moral force. When the force is physical, and cannot be resisted, then the act produced by it is a nullity, so far as concerns the party coerced. When the force is moral, then the act, though voidable, is imputable to the party doing it, unless he be so paralyzed by terror as to act convulsively. At the same time coercion is not negatived by the fact of submission under force. "Coactus volui" (I consented under compulsion) is the condition of mind which, when there is volition forced by coercion, annuls the result of such coercion.

Hardship; constraint; pressure; imprisonment; restraint of liberty.

The act of compelling by force of authority

The state of compulsion or necessity in which a person is influenced, whether by the unlawful restrain of his liberty or by actual or threatened physical violence, to incur a civil liability or to commit an offense.

Using force to cause something;

To subject to duress.

Compulsory force or threat;

Emotional pressure is often categorized under coercion, especially if it doesn’t involve unlawful threats, but extreme cases could be considered duress.

Coercion can involve a range of pressures and may not always be illegal, whereas duress specifically involves unlawful threats or harm, impacting legal validity.

Duress directly affects the legality of contracts, making them voidable. Coercion can also invalidate contracts, but it depends on the severity and nature of the pressure.

Threats to property can constitute coercion and, if severe and unlawful enough, may qualify as duress, depending on the jurisdiction and context.

Severe financial pressure, especially if resulting from unlawful threats, can be considered duress.

Yes, if it can be proven that the defendant acted under immediate threat of harm or violence, duress can be a valid legal defense.

Courts consider the immediacy and severity of the threat, the absence of a reasonable alternative, and whether the threat was unlawful.

Yes, the law recognizes both physical and psychological duress, though physical threats are often more straightforward to prove.

Proving duress involves demonstrating the presence of an immediate threat of harm, lack of reasonable alternative, and the influence of the threat on the decision made.

Yes, decisions or agreements made under duress are typically considered voidable, and the affected party can seek to rescind them.

Yes, peer pressure is a form of social coercion, influencing individuals to conform to group behaviors or decisions.

Consent obtained through coercion or under duress is not considered free or valid, as it's not given willingly and with full understanding.

Yes, a verbal threat can constitute duress if it's credible and creates a real fear of imminent harm.

Threatening legal action can be considered coercion, especially if used to unfairly pressure someone into acting against their will.

Coercion is generally understood to be intentional, as it involves deliberately applying pressure to influence someone’s actions.