NCJ Number
72147
Date Published
1976
Length
131 pages
Annotation
Nine rape victims were interviewed intensively to determine if they exhibited any common characteristics or differed from women who had not been raped.
Abstract
Rape victims volunteered for the study by responding to notices placed in a public meeting center for women, a feminist bookstore, and newsletter advertisements. The women were interviewed in an unstructured manner, 6 hours over a period of 6 weeks. In addition, participants were administered the Thematic Apperception Tests (TAT) and thee Machover Figure Drawings. These tests were also given to a control group of five women who were matched with the rape victim sample and who had never been raped, but all had experienced a traumatic accident at some time in their lives. Experimental group similarities and differences were examined, including those involving background, the rape crisis period, attitudes of family and friends, and dreams. Only the TAT data, however, revealed any significant result. Rape victims told significantly more stories with themes of suicide, negative or aggressive experience with men, and romance or love stories. These romantic stories may represent an attempt to cope with anger and fear toward men by over-romanticizing them. Litigation appeared to be related to some victims' successful post-rape adjustment, possibly because it served to vent rage and restore a sense of control over life. The data also suggested that some women are more severely affected by rape than others, particulary individuals who have difficulty expressing anger or are sexually immature or inexperienced. The nine case histories and 29 references are appended.