Download Sexual Coercion

Sexual Coercion
Chapter 18
Learning Objectives
 Rape: The Most Intimate Crime of Violence
 Types of Rape
 Social Attitudes, Myths, and Cultural Factors that
Encourage Rape
 Psychological Characteristics of Rapists: Who Are
They?
 Adjustment of Rape Survivors
 Sexual Abuse of Children
 Treatment of Rapists and Child Molesters
 Sexual Harassment
Rape
Sexual activity that takes place
without consent
Forcible rape
• Sexual activity obtained by the use of force or threat of force
Statutory rape
• Sexual activity with a person below the age of consent
Sexual assault
• Any sexual activity that involves the use of force or the threat of force
Critical Thinking
Why is rape a
political issue as
well as a crime?
Incidence of Rape
Numbers are
inconsistent and
staggering
FBI reported
almost 85,000 in
2011
CDC reported 1.3
million in 2011
1 in 5 women
In US two women
are raped every
minute
Incidence of Rape
Why the discrepancy?
• Incidence of rape is underreported
• About 2/3 not reported to police or
prosecuted
• Many women mistakenly believe
coercive sex is rape only if rapist is a
stranger
• Many women mistakenly assume only
vaginal penetration is rape
Types of Rape
STRANGER RAPE
Rape by assailant previously unknown to the
person
Assailant typically chooses a vulnerable victim
Types of Rape
ACQUAINTANCE RAPE
Rape by acquaintance of the victim
Women are more likely to be raped by men
they know
Is less likely to be reported than stranger rape
In a national college survey, only ¼ saw
themselves as rape victims
Types of Rape
DATE RAPE
A form of acquaintance rape
As many as 1 in 4 college woman reports being
forced into sexual intercourse by dates
Man tends to perceive returning home with
him as willingness to have sex
Consent is at issue since incidents occur in
context in which sex could voluntarily occur
Types of Rape
GANG RAPE
Exercise of power and expression
of anger against women
More vicious than individual
assaults
Types of Rape
MALE RAPE
Prevalence is unknown
• Estimated that one in ten rape survivors is a man
Most men who rape other men are heterosexual
• Sexual motives may be absent
Most, but not all, occur in prison settings
Male rape survivors may suffer traumatic effects similar to
female survivors
Types of Rape
PARTNER RAPE
May be more common than date rape
Men who are less accepting of traditional stereotypes about
sexual relationships are less likely to commit partner rape
Often occurs within a context of relationship violence,
battering, and physical intimidation
Long-term effects on survivors are similar to those
experienced by survivors of stranger rape
Critical Thinking
Why do you think it
was a political
struggle to pass laws
against marital rape?
Types of Rape
RAPE BY WOMEN
Although it is rare, women
have raped men and have
aided and abetted men who
are raping another woman
Social Attitudes, Myths, and Cultural Factors
Rape myths are
rationalizations
for violence
Male
socialization
and gender
typing
• Myths create a social climate that legitimizes
rape
• Myths are related to other social attitudes
• Gender-role stereotyping
• Perception of sex as adversarial
• Acceptance of violence in relationships
• The traditional masculine gender role is
related to acceptance of violence against
women and rape
Critical Thinking
Agree or disagree
with the following
statement and
support your answer:
A woman who walks in a
dangerous neighborhood or
talks to a stranger deserves
what she gets.
Psychological Characteristics of Rapists
Who are they?
• There is no single type of rapist
• Many have antisocial personalities
• Compared to other men, self-identified sexually aggressive
men are more likely to:
• Condone rape and violence against women
• Hold traditional gender-role attitudes
• Be sexually experienced and hostile toward women
• Engage in sex to express social dominance
• Be sexually aroused by depictions of rape
• Be irresponsible and lack a social conscience
• Have peer groups that pressure them into sexual activity
Adjustment of Rape Survivors
Survivors tend to experience
• Crisis
• Involves shock, loss of self-esteem, and lessened
capacity for making decisions
• Can last for weeks
• Both physical and psychological effects
• Problems in the workplace and in relationships with
spouses or partners
• Disturbances in sexual functioning
• Most fail to report sexual assault
• Reasons include fear, social stigma, doubt of others,
feelings of hopelessness, emotional distress
Adjustment of Rape Survivors
Psychological Disorders
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• A type of stress reaction brought on by a traumatic
event and is characterized by
• Flashbacks of the experience in the form of
disturbing dreams or intrusive recollections
• A sense of emotional numbing or restricted range
of feelings
• Heightened body arousal
• Women who blame themselves for the rape tend to
suffer more severe depression and adjustment
problems, including sexual problems
If You Are Raped
Don’t change
anything about
your body
Strongly consider
reporting the
incident to police
Ask a relative or
friend to take you
to a hospital
Seek help in an
assertive way
Question health
professionals
Call a rape
hotline or crisis
center for advice
Treatment of Rape Survivors
Crisis intervention and long-term
adjustment
Psychotherapy
Provide
support and
information to
help develop
strategies for
coping
• Treatment
targets are often
PTSD, depression,
and anxiety
• CBT most
effective form
of therapy
Rape crisis
centers and
hotlines
Help mobilize
social support
of family,
friends,
religious
leaders, and
health care
providers
Rape Prevention
Elimination of
rape will
require
changes in
attitudes
Some precautions
include
Education can
reduce the
incidence
• Establish signals with
other women in building
or neighborhood
• Use dead-bolt locks
• Do not walk alone after
dark
• Avoid deserted areas
• Don’t converse with
strange men on street
Rape Prevention
Suggestions for avoiding date rape
Set limits with partner
Meet new dates in public
Be firm in refusing sexual overture
Trust your gut feelings
Be cautious in new environments
Don’t let an ex-boyfriend into your living space
Sexual Abuse of Children
Estimated
200-300,000
annually
Ranges from
exhibitionism,
kissing,
fondling, to
sexual
intercourse
Most abused children are girls
Sexual relations between adults and children under the age of consent is a
crime in every state
Any sexual contact between adult and child is abusive
About 8% of boys and 20% of girls are sexually abused worldwide
Occurs over internet with images and invitations to interact in chat rooms
Voluntary sexual activity
between children of similar ages
is not abuse
Must involve coercion
Patterns of Abuse
Most molesters are someone close to child
Stable, middle-class children less at risk
Often unreported when discovered
Child typically trusts abuser
Repeat abuse by family members
Genital fondling most common, intercourse is rare
Children rarely report due to fear of retaliation or blame
First abuse
Boys on average 7 to 10 years old
Girls on average 6 to 12 years old
Critical
Thinking
Why do you
think that most
cases of child
sexual abuse are
not reported to
the authorities?
Types of Abusers
Overwhelming
majority are males,
most are adults,
some are adolescents
Male abusers more
likely to have been
abused themselves
Female abusers may
be more common
than previously
thought
Pedophilia
A paraphilia involving persistent or recurrent sexual attraction to
children
Almost all pedophiles are males
Abuse patterns vary and there is no consistent personality profile
of the pedophile
May have complex origins
Some were sexually abused as children
Often unstable, disagreeable, angry,
impulsive, and mistrustful
Pedophilia
Pedophiles
have distorted
reality
See children as sexual beings who want to
have sex with adults
Believe that sex does not harm children
and may be beneficial
Think of themselves as important enough
to have sex with whomever they want
See others as dangerous and controlling
Believe they cannot control their impulses
Incest
Marriage or sexual relations
between people who are so
closely related by “blood” that
sexual relations are prohibited
and punishable by law
Most cultures have an incest
taboo
Perspectives on the incest taboo
• To prevent harmful effects of
inbreeding
• Cooperation theory
• Emphasizes the importance of
cooperative ties between family
groups to the survival of the society
Types of Incest
Father-daughter
incest
Brother-sister
incest
Family factors in
incest
• Often begins
affectionately and
progresses to sexual
behavior
• Most common type
• Most likely to be
harmful when it is
forced or when
parental response is
harsh
• Incest often occurs
within the context of
family disruption
• Marriages tend to
involve an uneven
power relationship
• Sexual relations
between the spouses
are troubled
• Abused daughters may
assume mother’s
responsibilities
• Incest is often repeated
from generation to
generation
Effects of Sexual Abuse on Children
Involve great psychological
harm and physical
consequences
Sexual development may be
adversely affected
Abused children commonly
“act out”
• Younger children display aggressive
or antisocial behavior
• Older children abuse drugs
• Many show signs of posttraumatic
stress disorder
May lead to psychological
problems in adulthood
Prevention of Sexual Abuse on Children
Help children
understand what
sexual abuse is
and how they can
protect
themselves
Teach adults signs
of sexual abuse
and require them
to report
suspected abuse
to authorities
Treatment of Survivors of Sexual Abuse
With adults, psychotherapy can improve
self-esteem and ability to develop
intimate relationships
Many therapists recommend a
multifaceted treatment approach with
children and their families
Treatment of Rapists & Child Molesters
What Does Treatment Mean?
• Goal is to help society eliminate problem behavior
• Common form of treatment is group therapy
• However, majority of incarcerated sex offenders
receive little to no treatment in prison
• Results of these prison-based programs are mixed
• More promising results from CBT, such as empathy
training and covert sensitization
• Castration
• Chemical or surgical
• Reduces testosterone levels and consequently sex
drive
• May not lower sexual interest or behavior
Critical Thinking
Agree or disagree
with the following
statement and
support your answer:
We should punish sex
offenders and not worry about
“treating” them.
Sexual Harassment
Deliberate or repeated unsolicited verbal comments,
gestures, or physical contact of a sexual nature considered to
be unwelcome by the recipient:
• Verbal harassment or abuse
• Subtle or direct pressure for sexual activity
• Remarks about person’s clothing, body, or sex acts
• Leering or ogling a person’s body
• Unwelcome touching, patting, or pinching
• Brushing against a person’s body
• Demands for sexual favors with threats concerning one’s
job
• Physical assault
Sexual Harassment
Men or women can
commit or be subjected
to sexual harassment
• 99% of harassers are men
Stress may cause
physical illness, anxiety,
irritability, lowered selfesteem, and anger
Often ignored or
trivialized
More to due with power
than sexual desire
Sexual Harassment
Sexual Harassment in the
Workplace
• Most severe form involves supervisor
who demands sexual favors as a condition
of employment or advancement
• Laws do exist to protect workers, but
proving charges of sexual harassment can
be difficult
Sexual Harassment
Sexual Harassment on Campus
• 25% to 30% of students report at least one incident of sexual
harassment in college
• Males are about twice as likely as females to commit sexual
harassment
• Most forms of harassment involve unequal power
relationships
• However, students can and do harass professors
• Peer harassment
• Many high school and junior high school students report being
sexually harassed
• Negative attitudes toward school and lower grades can
result
Sexual Harassment
How to Resist Sexual Harassment
• Convey a professional attitude
• Discourage harassing behavior
• Avoid being alone with the harasser
• Maintain a record
• Talk with the harasser
• Write harasser a letter
• Seek support
• File a complaint
• Seek legal help