NCJ Number
137624
Journal
Journal of Sex Research Volume: 25 Issue: 4 Dated: (November 1988) Pages: 512-530
Date Published
1988
Length
19 pages
Annotation
While most popular current explanations of rape maintain that rapists are not sexually motivated, this article rejects 12 specific arguments, finding them to be logically unsound, based on inaccurate definitions, or inconsistent with the actual behavior of rapists.
Abstract
Arguments supporting the explanation that rape is not an implicitly sexual act hold that rape is totally devoid of romantic feelings unlike other types of sexual encounters, most rapists have stable sexual partners, rape is often premeditated, and the age distribution of rapists demonstrates that it is a crime of aggression and violence. The occurrence of rape in war shows that it is motivated by hostility; rape is a form of punishment in some societies; rapists have talked of their desire for power and control; and there is a high rate of sexual dysfunction during rapes. The remaining arguments countered here: rape patterns are similar to other non-sexual assaults in terms of aggressiveness; castrated rapists find other ways to do violence to women; most rape victims experience some type of physical force during the rape; and rape victims are vulnerable rather than attractive. The author argues that viewing rape as a sexually motivated crime can help the development of more effective prevention measures. 113 references