Toward a Feminist Theory of Threat Assessment

This paper presents a theoretical framework distinguishing two archetypal approaches to threat assessment and neutralization: a masculine paradigm based on identification and extermination or expulsion, and a feminine paradigm based on identification, integration and transformation. Drawing on systems theory, evolutionary biology, epidemiology, and cross-disciplinary case studies, I argue that feminine threat assessment—addressing root causes and neutralizing through integration and understanding—produces more sustainable long-term outcomes than pure elimination-based approaches. I examine successful applications across criminal justice, organizational culture, international diplomacy, healthcare, education, environmental management, and family systems, and contrast these with the secondary harms produced by more archetypal masculine approaches. Sweden's pandemic response is analyzed as a contemporary case study of feminine threat assessment and integration. I conclude that a more integrated threat assessment approach may be more effective for modern security challenges.