NCJ Number
94324
Journal
Deviant Behavior Volume: 4 Issue: 3-4 Dated: (April-September 1983) Pages: 357-374
Date Published
1983
Length
18 pages
Annotation
The topic of rape victimization emerged in the last decade as an important social problem. Using a sample of medical students, this paper attempts to unravel the attribution of responsibility imputed to the victim of rape.
Abstract
Victim characteristics were varied by using vignettes in order to create an 'ideal' and a 'non-ideal' rape victim. A testing of the attribution models of the just world and defensive attribution found that respondents assigned low levels of culpability to both victim types. Additionally, sex differences in perceptions of victim responsibility were found, with females according both victim types less blame than did males. Thus, partial support was found for the defensive attribution model. (Publisher abstract)