What constitutes Harassment according to the legal definition?

Harassment, as defined legally, involves engaging in a pattern of behavior that targets a specific individual with the intent to cause distress or alarm. The correct answer emphasizes that for behavior to be classified as harassment, there must be a continuation of actions that lack any legitimate purpose. This highlights the importance of context and intent in legal definitions of harassment. It's not merely an isolated incident or a one-time occurrence; it represents a broader, ongoing course of conduct directed at an individual.

The other options do not capture the comprehensive nature of harassment as understood in legal contexts. For example, merely intending to annoy someone does not establish the broader implications of behavior that could fall under harassment. Focusing solely on threatening behaviors or physical contact ignores the complexity of harassment, which can involve various forms of non-physical conduct as well, such as repeated phone calls, messages, or other actions that create a pattern of intent to annoy or intimidate. Therefore, the correct understanding of harassment requires considering the full scope of conduct and its intentional direction toward the affected individual.