NCJ Number
95029
Date Published
1984
Length
27 pages
Annotation
Empirical research and victim surveys identify intrafamilial sexual abuse as an everyday experience for many families in all economic and cultural groups in the United States.
Abstract
The two most common forms of sexual abuse in families are spouse rape and incest. The latter, when involving an adult and child, can be viewed as a form of rape. Spouse rape is an issue which is only beginning to be addressed. A number of traditional views have been responsible for perpetuating the stigmatizing and sex-bias aspects of rape and incest: that the victim has sexually provoked the incident, that accusations frequently are false, and that the victim is masochistic. Sexual assault is a serious crime to both child and adult. In all rapes, the three psychological components of anger, power, and sexuality exist. Distinctive patterns of assault emerge depending on which component is dominant in the dynamics of the offender. In anger rape, the assault is usually physically brutal and is used as a means of discharging rage and retaliation. In power rape, sexuality is used to compensate for underlying feelings of inadequacy and to assert control and mastery. Incest cases frequently follow this pattern. In sadistic rape, anger and sexuality are fused. The responses of victims include both physical and psychological difficulties which can persist long after the events when there are no effective interventions. Group therapy can help incest victims by providing them with much needed consensual validation of their own qualities and worth. A total of 215 notes are listed.