NCJ Number
158239
Journal
Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment Volume: 7 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1995) Pages: 301-315
Date Published
1995
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This article applies the concept of evolutionary psychology to the offenses of rape and child molestation.
Abstract
Evolutionary psychology seeks explanations for mental mechanisms and behaviors with a gene-centered selectionist perspective. Two aspects of evolutionary theory which provide the background for accounts of sexual coercion and child molestation (including incest) are nepotistic behavior and sex differences in mating strategies. A consideration of sexual offending in the context of reproduction, particularly the male sexual psychology that has developed out of its relationship to reproductive success in ancestral environments, raises questions about the etiology of sexual aggression and child molestation. 91 references