NCJ Number
194577
Journal
Sex Offender Law Report Volume: 2 Issue: 4 Dated: June/July 2001 Pages: 49-59
Date Published
2001
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study tests the usefulness of three separate theories of deviance to explain and predict sexually aggressive behavior.
Abstract
This study took place at the largest university located in a southeastern State. Five hundred and fifteen male undergraduate students were administered a survey in a classroom setting. The survey measured attitudes and behaviors concerning rape, the use of drugs to obtain sexual compliance, and the use of coercion to obtain sexual compliance. The survey's 25 questions addressed rape myth acceptance, sexual conservatism, acceptance of interpersonal violence, sex role stereotyping, and adversarial sexual beliefs. The goal of the research was to determine which model: the social learning model, the social bonding model, or the relative deprivation model of deviant behavior best predicted and explained sexually aggressive behavior and the proclivity to commit rape. The author utilized multiple regression models as well as bivariate regression models in his analysis of the data. The findings indicated that the social learning model of deviant behavior best explained and predicted the likelihood of engaging in sexually aggressive behaviors. Overall, the social bonding model and the relative deprivation model failed to predict or explain rape. The main implication of this research is that the social learning model of deviant behavior can and should be used to explain and predict socially deviant behavior.