An ecological framework was used to examine individual, situational, and social predictors of university women's acknowledgment of rape experiences. Only individual and situational factors uniquely predicted acknowledgment. Women were more likely to acknowledge a rape if they experienced higher levels of violence during the rape, possessed factors congruent with an acquaintance rape script rather than a blitz rape script, and blamed their behavior for the rape. All women experienced a generally low amount of self-blame and blamed the perpetrator more than themselves. Implications for rape awareness programs are discussed.
Sexuality is an ambiguous term. It can refer to a variety of phenomena, including sexual identity, sexual preference, and sexual behavior. Depending on one's theoretical perspective, sexuality may be defined in physiological, intrapersonal, or interpersonal terms. Following from these perspectives there are questions regarding what constitutes sexuality. Is sexuality to be defined by physiological reactions in certain body parts, but not others? When does one experience sexuality? Is it lodged in one's sense of identity as a woman or man? Or must it be defined by the sex of one's intimate partner? And what does it mean to be intimate with another? These questions have been addressed within frameworks derived from conventional wisdom and traditional science. However, increasingly there is a dissatisfaction with modem scientific traditions. There is a desire for theories, methods, and results that encompass an array of phenomena, including, for example, patterns of relating, language, consciousness, intentionality, and meaning. From feminist perspectives, there is a desire to develop a science for, as well as about, women. We propose that sexuality is inter-
Rape prevention and education efforts often focus on the need for clear communication regarding sexual intent between women and men. This approach is based on the underlying assumption that acquaintance rape is a relational issue resulting from miscommunication. Findings from two studies challenge that assumption. The first study demonstrates that men who self‐report engaging in sexually aggressive behavior are significantly more likely to misperceive women's sexual intent than other men or women. The second study demonstrates that the cognitive, rather than affective, components of rape‐supportive attitudes contribute to sexualized interpretations of women's behavior. Thus, it appears that the tendency to rely on miscommunication as a framework for understanding sexual assault may be deflecting attention from sexual overperceptions and the affectively based information processing among men who en‐gage in sexually assaultive behavior.
This study investigated the relationship between women’s sexual victimization experiences and their perceptions of sexual interest for an actor’s mundane, romantic, and sexual behaviors. Three hundred twenty-nine undergraduate women were divided into four mutually exclusive categories: women sexually victimized through verbal coercion, through intoxication, through force or threat of force, and women who reported only consensual sexual experiences. The women rated the sexual connotativeness of a list of dating behaviors, rating either a male or a female actor. Overall, women perceived more sexual interest in men’s behavior than in women’s comparable behavior. Moreover, women who had been victimized through force or threat of force perceived more sexual interest than nonvictimized women in a man’s target behaviors. There was no difference among women for a woman’s target behaviors. Women who have been sexually victimized may become more vigilant of men’s behaviors after experiencing sexual aggression.
interviews but will probably find the flow of the chapter confusing. For example, in a chapter entitled, ''Psychology, feminism and ideology: Where do we go from here?'' Nicholson describes Lenore Walker's (1979) cycle of violence, why women sometimes do not leave abusive relationships, and the trauma of living with abuse over time. These topics have been well documented in the literature and do not clearly address the seemingly forward-thinking purpose of the chapter.A significant strength of the book is the ''discursive'' or social construction analysis provided of interpersonal violence, both at the individual and social level of analysis. Nicolson argues that individuals' perception of their material context (their ''lived experience'') is what matters in DV situations and should be emphasized in therapy and service provision, rather than other theoretical perspectives (such as feminist explanations of abuse as power by the man or the woman) that may not fit individual relationships. She also notes how the use of the word ''survivor'' of DV potentially places a burden on the person to engage in advocacy for others, thus emphasizing how language used to refer to DV frames the context and expectations for those involved. Readers unfamiliar with this postmodern perspective and method may find this book useful in challenging their assumptions. Nicolson concludes by applying psychoanalytic, neopsychoanalytic, and attachment theories to explain how internalization of patriarchy and childhood exposure to violence can affect DV experience.In sum, interesting points in the book include compelling accounts from interviews with DV survivors and the application of social constructionist and intrapsychic theoretical approaches to the conceptualization of DV study and treatment. Significant concerns with the book include descriptions of rifts between feminist and psychological theoretical ''camps'' without including contemporary feminist psychological theory and research on DV as well as an overall unclear organization of the topics.
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