CH 17: Sexual Aggression Flashcards
sexual harassment
any unwanted sex-related behaviours that are considered by the recipient to be offensive, threatening or demeaning
reasons for sexual harassment: sociocultural theory
gender inequality and sexism leads to harassment, males are dominant/superior to women
reasons for sexual harassment: organizational theory
occurs because wide range of organizational issues such as power and status inequalities, power differentials within organisation affect likelihood of sexual harassment
reasons for sexual harassment: sex-role spillover theory
men and women have pre-existing beliefs and gender-based expectations for how to behave in various settings
reasons for sexual harassment: natural/biological theory
sexual harassment signifies an expression of sexual attraction, men who harass are using their power to try to maximize changes of gaining sexual access and procreating
reasons for sexual harassment: 4-factor theory
need to be 4 conditions for sexual harassment to occur
1) Person needs to be motivated to harass by any number of factors
2) Person must overcome cognitive inhibitions to not harass
3) Person must overcome societal and cultural inhibitions to not harass
4) Person must overcome any resistance by the victim
sexual assault
range of non-consensual sexual experiences
Including touching, oral, anal, vaginal intercourse and sexual violence
sexual assault: criminal code of canada prior to 1983:
- legal definition of rape
- heterosexual intercourse by a man with a women who was not wife
critism of the definition of rape before 1983
- no provision for male as victim and female as assailant
- no provision for spousal rape
- victim’s past sexual history could be put on trial (slut shaming)
- charge of rape required for corroboration (difficult to get conviction of no physical evidence was collected)
- rape complains had to made immediately after attached or invalidated
slut shaming
bring in past sexual partners and saying that the women were probably asking for it
presently, sexual assault defined as…
gender neutral
3 different types of sexual assault
1) simple sexual assault (no consent)
2) with weapon, threats, or bodily harm
3) aggravated sexual assault
what is consent?
- must be actively established
- cannot be obtained if the complainant is drunk, unconscious or changes their mind
- does not related to complainants past sexual history
effects of sexual assault
Women experience persistent negative effects following assaults committed by strangers as well as someone they know
- Sexual assaults involve verbal coercion or physical incapacitation have persistent effects
rape trauma syndrome: 2 phase stress pattern
following sexual assault
1) acute/disruptive phase
2) reorganizational phase
acute phase
- rape trauma syndrome
immediately following assault, common for victims to experience range of emotional reactions (anxiety, intense fear, anger, depression, disbelief, vulnerability)- blame herself for what happened, feeling numb/disorganized, or deny they were sexually assaulted to avoid response against potentially overwhelming feelings of confusion or shock
- Emotional reactions of this phase often escalate and persist for 1-2 months, then slowly decrease
reorganization phase
- rape trauma syndrome
last from months to years, attempt to restore order in their lives, re-establish sense of control. Lifestyle changes
post-traumatic growth (rape)
positive psychological change following a major negative event
Researchers suggested some experience this
incidence of sexual assault
- 39% of women over 18 sexually assaulted by man since age of 16
- 5% in past 12 months
- 6%report assault
- stranger rape more likely to be reported
- men report forced sex by men (2%) and women (1%)
prevalence estimates
estimates based on the percentage of surveyed individuals who report having participated in or experienced a certain condition in a given period of time
incidence estimates
estimates based on documented instances of a certain condition in a given period of time
human sex trafficking
form of slavery in which individuals are forced to engage in sexual acts for others profit
- Buying, selling, smuggling of human beings for purposes of forcing them to perform sexual acts
section 271: sexual assault definition
somebody touches you in sexual way on PURPOSE, directly or indirectly, WITHOUT your consent
sexual assault with weapon, threats to 3rd party, or causing bodily harm
somebody sexually assaults you and is armed with, or uses, a weapon, or forces you to have sex by threatening to do injury to someone else, or they injure you
aggravated sexual assault
somebody sexually assaults and they cause serious injuries to you
age of consent
- legal age of consent is 16 years
- May 2008, federal government amended the criminal code of canada to raise the age of consent to sexual activity from 14 to 16 years
sexual inference
- if you are under 16 years old, it is criminal offence for someone to touch your body for a sexual purpose with a part of their body or any object, directly or indirectly
invitation to sexual touching
if you are under 16 yeas old
- criminal offence for someone to invite, counsel or incite you to touch, directly/indirectly, their body, the body of someone else or your own body for a sexual purpose
sexual exploitation
- if you are 16 years or older, under 18
- criminal offence for someone in position of trust/authority to have sexual contact with you even if you consent to it
e. g. minister, coach, employer, teacher
indecent acts: exposure of genitals to person under 16 years of age
- if under 16
- criminal offence for someone to expose genital organs to you for sexual purpose
sexual exploitation of person with disability
- if you are mentally or physically challenged (any age)
- it is criminal offence if without consent someone invites, counsels or incites you to touch, directly/indirectly, their body, body of someone else, or your own body for sexual purpose, if the offender is in a position of trust or authority towards you or if you are dependent on the offender
if 12/13 years old
and you have sex with someone more than 2 years older than you
- the other person can be charged with sexual assault
if you are 14/15
you can consent to sex with someone who is less than 5 years older than you
under 18
cannot legally consent to have sex with someone who is in position of power, trust or authority
anal intercourse
- if under 18
- not married to each other
- criminal offence to have anal sex if both persons consent
- must be over 18, or married and both consenting
- it must be done in private and only by 2 people (if there are 3 people involve law says it is not private)
date rape incidence
28% of female university and college students experienced sexual coercion in past year
- under-reported for various reasons
acquaintance/date rape
possible miscommunication by sexually aggressive men related to:
- lack of competence in reading womens negative emotions
- failure to make subtle distinctions between friendliness and seductiveness
- sexually predatory behaviour
- suspicious scheme– doubt honesty of women’s communication/rejection (most supported by research)
what is Rohypnol
- pill dissolves in liquid
- some small, round, white (newer= oval, green/grey)
effects of rohypnol
- effects felt within 30 mins of being drugged, can last several hours
- may look/act like someone who is drunk
- trouble standing
- speech may be slurred
- may pass out
what is GHB
gamma hydroxybutyric
- liquid with no odour or colour, white powder or pill
effects of GHB
- may give drink salty taste, mixing with sweet drink masks the taste
- takes effect in about 15 minutes
- lasts 3-4 hours
- very potent: small dose can have big effect
- easy to overdose
what is ketamine, and the effects
- liquid and white powder
- fast acting
- may be aware of what is happening to you, but unable to move
- causes memory problems
- also used as horse tranquilizer
what is rape
act of initiating sexual intercourse with a person without his/her consent
- May involve physical force, verbal coercion, abuse of authority, or an incapacity to provide valid consent
anger rape
venting rage and contempt for women
- usually injury the victim
- typically does not orgasm
power rape
- focus on control
- usually planned, repetitive, increase in frequency
- feels insecure
sadistic rape
- ritualistic violence
- bondage, torture, and mutilation
- heavy use of violent pornography
male rape
- perpetrated by 2 or more adults against younger man
- focus on humiliation and degradation
- higher levels of physical damage to victims body
- frequent occurence in prisons
incidence of lesbian rape
rape = 7%
attempted rape 5%
5 characteristics of sexually aggressive man
1) violent home environment
2) delinquency
3) predatory orientation
4) hostile masculine personality
5) lack of empathy/ self centeredness
Delinquency
characteristics of sexually aggressive man
- encourages hostile attitudes, aggressive self-image, illegal activity
predatory orientation
characteristics of sexually aggressive man
perception of enhanced self-esteem and status
hostile masculine personality
characteristics of sexually aggressive man
- hostility toward women
- exaggerated masculinity– rejects that which is feminine
- power and control issues
lack of empathy
characteristics of sexually aggressive man
- empathy appears to be key element
- empathy training tends to reduce the likelihood of subsequent assaults
minimization
attitudinal barriers to addressing sexual assault
demean the person who “makes such a fuss”
directionality
attitudinal barriers to addressing sexual assault
men may feel defensive or ashamed and women may feel protective of the men present (important)
trivialization
attitudinal barriers to addressing sexual assault
media, especially pornography has normalized aggressive sexual behaviour
collusion/victim blaming
attitudinal barriers to addressing sexual assault
women are blamed for provoking sexual aggression in men
- diverts responsibility
myth of “female masochism”
rape myths perpetuate notion that women enjoy physical and emotion pain connected with sex
psychopathy
belief that perpetrators are mentally ill
- protects us from having to face the true causes of sexual assault (embedded in social norms)
ways to prevent sexual assault
- set sexual limits
- decide early about sex
- be clear about intentions
- for forceful and firm about consent
- do not worry about being polite
- be aware of alcohol and drugs
- trust your gut “the gift of fear”
- stay in public until know person well
slut walks
- occur in number of large cities in response to cultural discourse
- grew out of statement that suggest women should not dress in certain ways because doing do invites sexual assault
stress inoculation training: cognitive-behavioural therapy
treatment sexual assault victims
- psychoeducation to normalize fear and avoidance behaviors, training in coping strategies
prolonged exposure: cognitive-behavioural therapy
treatment sexual assault
decreases anxiety with memories, helps victims to establish more organized trauma stories by teaching coping exercises
cognitive processing therapy: cognitive-behavioural therapy
treatment sexual assault
helps integrate trauma into pre-existing cognitive schemas, decreasing avoidance and intrusive thoughts, involves psychoeducation, exposure, and cognitive techniques
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing:
treatment sexual assault
psychotherapy, integrates psychdynamic, cognitive-behavioural, body-centered therapies
- Emphasis on element of bilateral stimulation through eye movements, tones, or finger tapping during imaginal exposure exercises
10 Rape myths
- inaccurate beliefs about sexual assault
1) Women cause men to sexually assault by the way they look or dress
2) It is not sexual assault if either person is drunk or under influence of drugs at the time of assault
3) Rapists come from certain demographic of people: non-white, lower class (criminal types)
4) Women often make false reports of sexual assault (actually highly unreported crime)
5) You can tell rapist by way he looks
6) Sexual assault usually occurs outside and at night
7) Sexual assault usually occurs between strangers
8) Sexual assault is an impulsive act of sexual gratification (primarily an act of violence, used to obtain power over another person)
9) If a victim didn’t physically fight back, she/her wasn’t really sexually assaulted
10) Person cannot be sexually assaulted by her/his intimate partner (must give consent each time)
3 main routes of sexual offending
1) Young male syndrome: theorized route to delinquent and/or criminal acts in which individuals engage in risky, violent and competitive behaviour, especially during adolescence, to demonstrate their dominance and willingness to incur risks to attain goals
2) Competitive disadvantage: developmental pattern in which witnessing and expression of aggressive behaviours as well as disadvantaged environment lead to chronic patterns of deviant behaviour in adulthood
3) Psychopathy: individuals antisocial behaviour is life persistent, has no known environmental causes and involves manipulation and exploitation of others for personal gain
Victim precipitation theory
suggest victims are in part responsible for their assaults due to their own particular behaviours or characteristics
