Human Sexuality in A Changing World: Tenth Edition

Human Sexuality in a Changing World
Tenth Edition
Chapter 15
Sexual Coercion
Copyright © 2018, 2014, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Rape (1 of 2)
• 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
Rape (2 of 2)
• Critical Thinking
– Why is rape a political issue as well as a crime?
Incidence of Rape (1 of 2)
• Numbers are inconsistent and staggering
• BJS reported that 284,350 forcible rapes occurred in 2014
• NISVS reports that close to 2 million women are raped each year
Incidence of Rape (2 of 2)
• Why the discrepancy?
– Incidence of rape is underreported
 About two-thirds 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 (1 of 8)
• Stranger Rape
– Rape by assailant previously unknown to the person
– Assailant typically chooses a vulnerable victim
• 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 one-fourth saw themselves as rape victims
• Date Rape
– A form of acquaintance rape
– 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
• Rape on Campus
– 20% of women and 5% of men reported that they have been sexually assaulted
– 9% of women said they were overcome by physical force and 14% said they were
assaulted while incapacitated
– By and large, attackers were no strangers
 1 in 4 or 5 knew the attacker very well, and 25% knew him fairly well
• Gang Rape
– Exercise of power and expression of anger against women
– More vicious than individual assaults
• 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
• 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
– Why do you think it was a political struggle to pass laws against marital 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 (1 of 2)
• Rape myths are rationalizations for violence
– 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
Social Attitudes, Myths, and Cultural
Factors (2 of 2)
• Male socialization and gender typing
– The traditional masculine gender role is related to acceptance of violence against
women and rape
– 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 (1 of 2)
• 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,
and emotional distress
Adjustment of Rape Survivors (2 of 2)
• Psychological Disorders
– Posttraumatic 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
Rape Prevention (1 of 2)
• Elimination of rape will require changes in attitudes
• Education can reduce the incidence
• Some precautions include

– 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 (2 of 2)
• Suggestions for avoiding date rape
– Set limits with partner
– Meet new dates in public
– Drive your own car
– Refuse unwanted overtures
– Trust your gut feelings
– Don’t let an ex-boyfriend into your living space
Childhood Sexual Abuse
• Estimated 200–300,000 annually
– Most abused children are girls
• Ranges from exhibitionism, kissing, fondling, to sexual intercourse

– 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 7–8% of boys and 18% 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 (1 of 2)
• 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 is 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
Patterns of Abuse (2 of 2)
– 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 (1 of 2)
• 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 (2 of 2)
• 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
– Often begins affectionately and progresses to sexual behavior
• Brother-sister incest
– Most common type
– Most likely to be harmful when it is forced or when parental response is harsh
• Family factors in incest

– 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
• Abused children commonly “act out”

– Younger children display aggressive or antisocial behavior
– Older children abuse drugs
– Many show signs of posttraumatic stress disorder
• Sexual development may be adversely affected
• 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 Rapists & Child Molesters (1
of 2)
• 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
Treatment of Rapists & Child Molesters (2
of 2)
– Agree or disagree with the following statement and support your answer:
– We should punish sex offenders and not worry about “treating” them.
Sexual Harassment (1 of 4)
• Gender harassment
• Attempts at seduction
• Bribery
• Sexual coercion
• Physical sexual coercion
• Men or women can commit or be subjected to sexual harassment

– 99% of harassers are men
• Often ignored or trivialized
• Stress may cause physical illness, anxiety, irritability, lowered self-esteem, and anger
• 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
• Trivialization of Sexual Harassment and Blaming the Victim
• More to do with power than sexual desire
• Sexual Harassment in the Academic Setting

– Many harassers and victims view harassment as “just part of school life” and “no
big deal.”
• 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

Human Sexuality in A Changing World: Tenth Edition

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Human Sexuality in A Changing World: Tenth Edition

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Human Sexuality in a Changing World

• BJS reported that 284,350 forcible rapes occurred in 2014

• 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

• Education can reduce the incidence

• Some precautions include

• Ranges from exhibitionism, kissing, fondling, to sexual intercourse

• Voluntary sexual activity between children of similar ages is not abuse

• Stable, middle-class children less at risk

• Often unreported when discovered

• Child typically trusts abuser

• Repeat abuse by family members

• Genital fondling is most common; intercourse is rare

• Children rarely report due to fear of retaliation or blame

• Male abusers more likely to have been abused themselves

• Female abusers may be more common than previously thought

• Almost all pedophiles are males

• May have complex origins

• Most cultures have an incest taboo

• Perspectives on the incest taboo

• Family factors in incest

• Abused children commonly “act out”

• Sexual development may be adversely affected

• May lead to psychological problems in adulthood

• Physical sexual coercion

• Men or women can commit or be subjected to sexual harassment

• Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

• More to do with power than sexual desire

• Sexual Harassment in the Academic Setting

You might also like