NCJ Number
98164
Journal
Social Problems Volume: 32 Issue: 3 Dated: (February 1985) Pages: 251-263
Date Published
1985
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Interviews were conducted with 114 convicted, incarcerated rapists to examine the motivations, gains, and functions of sexual violence in their lives.
Abstract
All interviews were recorded using an 89-page instrument which included a general background, psychological, criminal, and sexual history; attitude scales; and 30 pages of open-ended questions. For these men, the use of culturally derived excuses and justifications allowed them to view their behavior as idiosyncratic or situationally appropriate. Having disavowed deviance, these men revealed how they had used rape to achieve a number of objectives. Some men used rape for revenge or punishment and included the notion of the collective liability of women. These rapes were among the most brutal and often included serious beatings and injury. For others, rape was an added bonus, a last minute decision made while committing another crime. In other cases, it was a means of gaining access to women who were unwilling or unavailable, while for some it was a source of power and sex without any personal feelings. Rape also was viewed as a form of recreation, a diversion, or an adventure. Finally, it was something that made these men feel good. Examples of these perceptions and motivations are provided. The pleasure these men derived from the rape reveals the extreme to which they objectified women. These data demonstrate that some men rape because they have found that sexual violence is rewarding in this culture. Further, rather than supporting the view that rape is the idiosyncratic act of a sick man, results support a view of rape as the end point of a continuum of sexually aggressive behaviors that reward men and victimize women. Included are 12 footnotes and 43 references.