DARVO –  Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender – is an insidious tactic of abusers, first described by Center for Institutional Courage founder Jennifer Freyd in 1997. Our research team, funded by an Institutional Courage Research Grant, studied DARVO in the context of systemic oppression on university campuses. Through focus groups with university students who experienced different types of systemic oppression (such as racism and LGBTQ+ oppression), we found that DARVO was a prevalent tool in perpetuating oppression.

Institutional representatives – like staff, faculty, and administrators – maintain evaluative and administrative power over students. Our participants disclosed a range of ways in which DARVO occurs and emphasizes the power dynamic. Reports of professors denying responsibility for racist comments in class were met with dismissive responses like, "It's not my job, don't come crying to me about it." This denial, coupled with a power imbalance, was exemplified by one student's account: “You can’t do anything about what I’m doing to you or what I’m saying in class because I have tenure, they’re going to believe me over you no matter who you go to talk to.’

Students also experienced a role reversal when they spoke up about oppression, with one professor suggesting, “I’m sorry but the classroom isn’t the space to start a confrontation,” implying that speaking out about oppression is the issue, not the oppressive act itself. These examples highlight professors’ wielding of power, as denials, attacks, and role reversals not only downplay the event and its impact but also convey a reluctance to address the issue.

Consistent with previous research on the use of DARVO in interpersonal relationships, our findings suggest that DARVO by institutional representatives can instill helplessness and, secondary to that, causes feelings of powerlessness and isolation in students. 

Numerous voices echoed a feeling of loneliness at their academic institutions. One of them said:

“I just had that feeling, or that question like what classes should I take next semester, what classes should I take so I won’t encounter the similar incident that could happen to me. Which professor on campus is not racist? And it’s just really sad to think about it because like there should be a safe environment where everyone can take whatever course they want based on their interest. But now as the student of color I need to think about like, which class should I take so I will feel safe, I will feel respected.”

DARVO isolates victims of interpersonal violence and marginalized students alike. Charged with overreacting to racist comments, forcing their gender identity on others, or hurting their college, participants tended to turn inward. Instead of focusing on the significant task of learning, forging friendships, and establishing belonging, marginalized students often distance themselves for self-preservation. DARVO operated as an implicit threat, discouraging marginalized students from voicing their pain, instead isolating and compromising their educational goals to prioritize safety and manage concerns about retaliation.

DARVO facilitates a power imbalance between students and the institution, amplifying the existing power differential. Marginalized students are then asked to fix the oppression from university campuses by having them showcased or educate others on their identities, adding a tremendous burden that is exhausting, isolating, and painful to experience. LGBTQI+ and Students of Color are not only burdened by systemic discrimination but also have to endure isolation, barriers, invisibility, and insufficient support from institutions at large. 

Editor's Note: The authors of this article were members of the research team of Marina Rosenthal and Kathryn LaBore, who are the Principal Investigators of the research study described in this article. Rosenthal and LaBore were funded by an Institutional Courage Research Grant from the Center for Institutional Courage.