Term Paper on "Rapists and Rape"

Term Paper 5 pages (1716 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Rapists

Between 2002 and 2003, there were approximately 223,280 victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assaults in the United States alone. By this estimate, someone in America is sexually assaulted every two and a half minutes, and statistically, most of these victims are women (Catalano, 2). Further, since only 20 to 50% of rapes are reported to police, this number is likely much higher (Scully, 6). In order to understand these violent attacks and devise ways to combat the crime, it is imperative to understand the motives behind the crimes, and the minds of the attackers.

First, it is essential to understand the differences in terminology when discussing rape. In order for a sexual crime to be considered rape, most states require that the sexual activity is involuntary, and only committed because of force or the threat of force (Groth, 3). In other states, however, the term can be applied to involuntary sexual activity committed as a result of pressure from a figure of authority (Groth, 4).. The important factor, regardless of the specific definition, is that rape involves a sexual act committed without consent by the victim.

These sexual acts, when committed against the will of the victim, are considered rape but to assume that the motivation for such acts is sexual gratification would be inaccurate. Studies have shown that rape is seldom motivated by sexual indulgence (Renfrew, 207). In one such study, none of the rapists surveyed used rape as their only means of sexual satisfaction. In fact, one-third of the respondents were married, while the rest had girlfriends or regularly sought out prostitutes. Further, according to the victims surveyed, no attempts at seduction were performed, thus indicating sex was not the primary goal of the attacker. Even more telling is the fact that, of the rape crimes examined in the study, one third of the attackers were sexually dysfunctional during the attack and less than half of the victims tested positive for sperm, indicating the attacker did not gain sexual satisfaction (Renfrew, 208).

According to current theories of criminal deviance, rape is not caused by a need for sexual satisfaction, but rather, for a variety of different reasons. As a result, criminal psychologists have developed classifications of rape to help legal personnel in tracking potential suspects, since each form of rape stems from different motivations. While many theories have been produced, most theorists agree there are at least three categories, those of anger rape, power rape, and sadistic rape.

Anger rape, first defined by Birnbaum and Groth in 1979, is characterized by excessive force, insults, and in particular, extreme degradation of the victim. The crime is often not premeditated but rather, seems to be committed as a sudden act of rage. According to studies, this type of rape is commonly committed by those seeking revenge or retaliation against women in general. Their victims are not chosen in advance, but are instead chosen at the time the attacker feels enraged (Renfrew, 210). Frequently with this type of rape, the attacker forces the victim to perform acts other than intercourse, such as fellatio or sodomy, in an effort to further demean the victim. In other cases, the rapist urinates or masturbates on the victim. The goal of these additional acts is not sexual gratification, but rather, a way to defile and humiliate the victim, out of rage and hatred (Groth, 15).

The second type of rape, power rape, is often preplanned and even rehearsed. Power rape is usually accompanied by fantasies of the attacker in which the female enjoys their subservient role or comes to desire the attacker following the rape (Groth, 27). While this type of rape is not done with harm in mind, violence can certainly ensue over time, particularly if the attacker is unable to perform sexually. The attackers responsible for this category of rape often derive their pleasure from the helplessness of their victims (Renfrew, 211).

For most that perform this type of rape, the goal is to possess the victim sexually. Feelings of inadequacy and uncertainly lead the perpetrator to commit the act in an effort to show strength, control, authority, or capability. Force, then, is only used to subdue the victim enough to perform sexual activity. This is not to say that sex is the primary reason, however: control is the desired outcome. In power rape, the female is often held captive, and subjected to multiple rape sessions, in an effort to "win her over," or in the hopes that the victim will eventually become turned on (Groth, 29).

The final form of rape, sadistic rape, is perhaps the most dangerous. While rapes in this category certainly share traits with other forms, such as the use of force, physical abuse, premeditation, and a long lasting attack time, these rapes are unique in that the attackers are highly sexually aroused by the use of extreme physical force and destruction. This force, unlike in other types of rape, may involve ritualized acts, torture, symbolic destruction of the flesh, and often, eventual death of the victim (Renfrew, 212). For the sadistic rapist, the fusion of violence and sexuality is the erotic component. The intentional mistreatment of the victim provides sexual gratification alone, and sexual intercourse is often unnecessary. Bondage, torture, biting, burning, and mutilation are often involved (Groth, 44). In some cases, the assailant may use foreign objects to penetrate the victim, such as bottles, sticks, or enema utensils. The sadistic rapist often recalls no anger in the attack, and thus, anger is not the primary motive. Instead, the destruction of innocence and the mutilation of the human body are often seen as the primary motives (Groth, 45).

In identifying these three types of rape, one is able to examine theories of the types of rapists who commit these acts. There are, again, numerous theories on the types of rapists that exist, but there are several that are widely accepted. First, the forcible rapist, as mentioned, views the force of the rape as the motivational strength. These rapists are excited by their victims fear, and may become more sexually aroused as the encounter becomes more violent (Langevin, 395). For the rapist with the Madonna-Prostitute Complex, women can be divided into two categories, those of the saint, and those of the bad. For these rapists, the women they rape are not even human beings, but rather, cheap and useless creatures that are created to be abused. Their crime is committed out of an anger and disrespect for their victims (Langevin, 395).

Still another theory involving a specific type of rapist is that some rapists suffer from an inferiority complex, which make them either adhere to strict sex role rigidity, or cause them to suffer from a Don Juan complex. According to this complex, some males have insecurity about their own masculinity. Often, these rapists are poorly socialized, and thus, have a fear of females and their social power. They compensate for this fear by "proving" their masculinity through rape. Additionally, this inferiority complex causes the male to strictly adhere to the "male" role, often forcing his victims into submission through force and violence. Even further, these rapists tend to commit rape serially, due to the "Don Juan" complex, which is the overcompensation for their inferiority through sexual relations (Langevin, 397).

While the above types of rapists have been identified, this list is certainly not an exhaustive one. It should be noted that while rape can certainly be committed by unknown assailants, many women find themselves victims of rape by their own boyfriend, or spouses. According to Bancroft, women who are victims of spousal abuse and rape often describe their assailants as "two different people" (3). These men are often verbally and physically abusive and, after time, also sexually abusive, forcing their partners into sexual actions by threats of force or abandonment (Bancroft, 175). While this type of rape is just as violent as that of the unknown rapists, many states still do not include this definition in their state statutes (Scully, 8), making it difficult to gain insight into how these rapists think and commit their crimes.

Some individuals in the psychology and psychiatry fields believe that rape is a symptom of a psychological dysfunction. However, the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not specifically list rape as a sexual deviation. Further, the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases does not list rape, even though it does list more obscure forms of sexual deviation, such as transvestism and fetishism (Groth, 4). In fact, studies done on the rate of diagnosed psychological disorders among sex offenders show that sex offenders have no higher of a diagnosis rate than non-sex offenders (Motiuk, 56).

There can be no question that more information is needed on rapists, and their crimes. Current theories often overlap one another, and none appears to encompass all rapists or rape offenses. While the anger rape, power rape, and sadistic rape categories have been identified, other attacks appear to be… READ MORE

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