Blame Attributions of Victims and Perpetrators: Effects of Victim Gender, Perpetrator Gender, and Relationship

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin E. Ayala ◽  
Brandy Kotary ◽  
Maria Hetz
Keyword(s):  
Victim Blame ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Women's College ◽  
Female Victims ◽  
Blame Attributions ◽  
Male Perpetrators ◽  
Female Perpetrators ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Perpetrator Blame ◽  
Victim Gender

Although research has been conducted on rape myth acceptance (RMA) and other factors associated with attribution formation, researchers have not yet determined how the combination of such factors simultaneously affects levels of victim blame and perpetrator blame. The current investigation recruited 221 students from an all-women’s college to examine differences in blame attributions across RMA, victim gender, and perpetrator gender, and the relationship between the two parties (i.e., stranger vs. acquaintance). Results suggested that RMA, victim gender, and perpetrator gender account for a significant amount of variance in blame attributions for both victims and perpetrators. In sum, victim blame with female perpetrators was relatively consistent across levels of RMA, but increased substantially for male perpetrators as individuals endorsed higher levels of RMA. Perpetrator blame, however, was highest with male perpetrators when individuals endorsed low levels of RMA and lowest for male perpetrators when individuals endorsed relatively higher levels of RMA. Findings demonstrate the continued influence of RMA on blame attributions for both victims and perpetrators, and the stigma faced by male victims. More research is needed on the differing attributions of male and female victims and perpetrators, as well as differing attributions based on type of relationship. Such research will lead to a better and more thorough understanding of sexual assault and rape.

Perceptions of Common Rape: How Rape Myth Acceptance, Victim Gender, and Victim Resistance Affect Victim and Perpetrator Blame Attributions in Party Rape and Date Rape

2021 ◽  
pp. 107780122110680
Author(s):  
Suzanne St. George
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Date Rape ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Victim Blame ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Blame Attributions ◽  
Victim Resistance ◽  
Perpetrator Blame ◽  
Victim Gender

Among rape perception studies, common types of male rape remain understudied. Using a randomized vignette design, I sampled 622 college students from a large Southwestern university to examine how victim gender and victim resistance influence blame attributions in party rape and date rape. Results revealed important interactions between victim gender, victim resistance, and rape type. Among other effects, resistance only affected victim blame in date rapes involving male victims. Results indicated that how respondents perceive victim and perpetrator responsibility, and which factors influence these perceptions, vary across rape type and victim gender. Implications for the rape perception literature are discussed.

Blame Attributions Against Heterosexual Male Victims of Sexual Coercion: Effects of Gender, Social Influence, and Perceptions of Distress

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052096715
Author(s):  
Ashley K. H. Catton ◽  
Martin J. Dorahy
Keyword(s):  
Social Influence ◽  
Sexual Coercion ◽  
Victim Blame ◽  
Court Case ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Female Victims ◽  
Blame Attributions ◽  
Heterosexual Male ◽  
Shame Proneness ◽  
Main Effects

If heterosexual male victims had been more active in the #MeToo movement, how might they have been judged? Although the #MeToo movement has been regarded as an historic milestone for women who were victimized by men in positions of power, participation in the movement by male victims has been noticeably absent. Research indicates that victims may avoid disclosure if they anticipate negative social reactions, and male victims may attract greater levels of victim blaming than female victims, particularly if their perpetrator was female. The current study investigated attributions of victim blame against a fictional heterosexual male in a between-subjects vignette design. Perpetrator gender and their social influence were manipulated in a sample of 208 college students. Results did not support the hypothesized main effects of perpetrator gender or social influence. Greater blame attributions were made against victims of a male perpetrator compared to one of an unspecified gender. Male participants attributed greater blame than females, and the relationship between shame proneness and blame was moderated by participant gender, males experiencing higher levels of shame engaged in less victim blame. Blame increased when participants believed the court case to be more distressing than the victimizing act. Results support the male rape myth framework, which posits that beliefs about a male victim’s experience of his own violation, particularly whether he experienced distress or pleasure, are related to gendered norms of masculinity, which include normative traits of toughness, dominance, and high sexual performance. Implications on the role of gender as a barrier to disclosure by male victims are discussed.

scholarly journals The Father, the Son, and the Abuser: The Portrayal of Male Victims of Intimate Partner Homicide in the News Media

2021 ◽  
pp. 108876792110474
Author(s):  
Kenzie Hanson ◽  
Alexandra Lysova
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
News Media ◽  
English Language ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Intimate Partner Homicide ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Female Victims ◽  
Male Perpetrators ◽  
Female Perpetrators ◽  
Media Research

Media research on intimate partner homicide (IPH) has primarily focused on male perpetrators and female victims. This study analyzed 203 English-language news articles of IPH involving male victims and female perpetrators for the year 2019. Using thematic analysis, we identified two main themes: doubting the victim (who is the victim?) and victim recognition (“he didn’t deserve this”). The findings suggest that male victims of female perpetrated IPH tend to be blamed for their victimization and represented as non-ideal and illegitimate victims in the news media.

scholarly journals Negative Third-Party Reactions to Male and Female Victims of Rape: The Influence of Harm and Normativity Concerns

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052091456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Mulder ◽  
Gerd Bohner
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Victim Blame ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Secondary Victimization ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Victims ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Two Measures

Male and female victims of sexual violence frequently experience secondary victimization in the form of victim blame and other negative reactions by their social surroundings. However, it remains unclear whether these negative reactions differ from each other, and what mechanisms underlie negative reactions toward victims. In one laboratory study ( N = 132) and one online study ( N = 421), the authors assessed participants’ reactions to male and female victims, and whether different (moral) concerns underlay these reactions. The reactions addressed included positive and negative emotions, behavioral and characterological blame, explicit and implicit derogation, and two measures of distancing. It was hypothesized that male victimization would evoke different types of (negative) reactions compared with female victimization, and that normative concerns would predict a greater proportion of the variance of reactions to male victims than female victims. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) were conducted to test whether reactions to male and female (non-)victims differed. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to test the influence of gender traditionality, homonegativity, as well as binding and individualizing moral values on participants’ reactions. Results revealed that participants consistently reacted more negatively to victims than to nonvictims, and more so to male than to female targets. Binding values were a regular predictor of negative reactions to victims, whereas they predicted positive reactions to nonvictims. The hypothesis that different mechanisms underlie reactions to male versus female victims was not supported. The discussion addresses implications of this research for interventions targeting secondary victimization and for future research investigating social reactions to victims of sexual violence. It also addresses limitations of the current research and considerations of diversity.

What victims tell us about their sexual assault offenders: age, sex, victim-offender relationships, and type of threats (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali AL-Asadi
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Assaults ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Physical Force ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
Female Victims ◽  
Female Perpetrators ◽  
Assault Victims ◽  
Sexually Offended ◽  
Male To Female

BACKGROUND Sexual assault perpetrated mostly by males against mostly females is a serious crime that seems to remain relatively stable when other crimes have significantly declined. Many factors are involved in sexual assaults. Undertaking these factors and their relationships with one another is essential to designing and providing more efficient and empirically-based preventative and intervention programs. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine and analyze what victims of one sexual assault who sought therapy tell us about their sex, age at which they were assaulted, the sex and age of the perpetrator, the relationship with the perpetrator, and the type of threats used to gain their compliance. METHODS Therapists at eight sexual assault centers around the province of Alberta, Canada, completed a questionnaire on each of their clients over seven years. A total of 1525 participants, of which 1417 (92.92%) were female, and 108 (7.08%) were male victims of one sexual assault, were included in this study. Descriptive analyses were carried out on the six variables of concern in this study. RESULTS Female victims sought therapy by a ratio of 13:1 relative to male victims of one sexual assault. Victims seeking therapy reported that they were sexually assaulted by 1492 male and 33 female perpetrators, a 45:1 male to female ratio. Most female perpetrators (42.2%) were aged 30 years and older, followed by 39.4% aged 1-17 years. Most male perpetrators (46.2%) were aged 18-29 years, followed by 30.6% aged 30 and older. Perpetrators sexually offended mostly against their aged counterpart victims except for those aged 30 and older, who were involved in more cases of one sexual assault against a person in every age group. Over 90% of assaults were committed by a person known to the victim—acquaintances, friends, and dates comprised over 50%, and strangers 12.9% of cases. At 51.5%, physical force was the most common type of threat used by all perpetrators, followed by drugs and alcohol (13.2%), bribes and promises (11.5%), using weapons or threats of a weapon (9.2%). CONCLUSIONS Female victims of sexual assault seek help more readily than males. The majority of victims of sexual assault are females, whereas the overwhelming majority of perpetrators are males. In addition, perpetrators of sexual assaults are mostly known to the victims and have some relationship. Finally, physical force is the threat used most often to gain victims' compliance.

The Gender Cycle of Violence: Comparing the Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect on Criminal Offending for Males and Females

2001 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail A. Fagan
Keyword(s):  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Cycle Of Violence ◽  
Criminal Offending ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Ample Evidence ◽  
Female Victims ◽  
Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Relationship

Despite ample evidence of the relationship between childhood maltreatment and offending, the ways in which the cycle of violence operates remain unclear. For example, feminist researchers contend that female victims are more likely to become offenders, compared to male victims, but more research is needed to substantiate this claim. Moreover, the contradictions in research findings-with retrospective research demonstrating that most offenders have histories of abuse, and prospective work indicating that the majority of victims do not become involved in crime-highlight the importance of identifying the intermediating variables that lead from maltreatment to criminality. This review summarizes investigations related to the cycle of violence, discusses the intermediating circumstances that may affect the cycle, and identifies whether or not these processes are similar for women and men.

Heinous Crime or Unfortunate Incident: Does Gender Matter?

2017 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 330-341
Author(s):  
Jun Zhao ◽  
Christabel L. Rogalin
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Sociology Of Emotions ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Emotional Displays ◽  
Shared Beliefs ◽  
Male Perpetrators ◽  
Female Perpetrators ◽  
Emotional Display ◽  
The Relationship

This study replicates and extends earlier investigations of emotional displays of an offender influencing jurors’ sentencing judgments through identity inference. Prior studies of this phenomenon used only male perpetrators. However, culturally shared beliefs about emotion are strongly gendered. Thus, we investigate how the perpetrator’s gender moderates the relationship between emotional displays and sentencing. Results replicate results of previous studies—this time, for both men and women. Furthermore, the effect of a perpetrator’s emotional display of distress on observers’ judgment of criminal identity is stronger for male than female perpetrators. We introduce the concept of the emotion-display premium to account for the greater benefits males receive for their display of particular emotions and discuss the implications of these results for social psychology and the sociology of emotions.

scholarly journals Two Sides of the Same Coin: The Relationship Between Modern Racism and Rape Blaming Attitudes among Swedish Students and Community Members

2020 ◽  
pp. 003329412097815
Author(s):  
Mattias Sjöberg ◽  
Farhan Sarwar
Keyword(s):  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Rape Victim ◽  
Victim Blame ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Modern Racism ◽  
Significant Negative Relationship ◽  
Modern Racism Scale ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Perpetrator Blame

The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between modern racism and rape victim and perpetrator blame, and rape perception. Participants from both a community population ( n = 211) and a student population ( n = 200) read a rape vignette and provided their judgements of blame towards a victim and perpetrator, their perception of the event as rape, and later answered the modern racism scale. Results showed a significant positive relationship between modern racism and rape victim blame ( r = .35, R2 [Formula: see text] 100 = 12.1%), while modern racism had a significant negative relationship with perpetrator blame ( r = −.27, R2 [Formula: see text] 100 = 7.5%) and rape perception ( r = −.29, R2 [Formula: see text] 100 = 8.7%). Implications for the criminal justice system as well as suggestions for future research were discussed.

The Influence of Adult Role Statuses on Violent Victimization Reporting

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 957-984
Author(s):  
Stacey J. Bosick ◽  
Callie Marie Rennison
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Crime Victimization ◽  
Female Victims ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Adult Role ◽  
Push Forward ◽  
Adult Roles ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
The Relationship

Drawing on data from the National Crime Victimization Survey, this article extends on the contributions from developmental and life course criminologists by investigating the relationship between adult role status and police notification. Our findings point to the important gender differences. Age and reporting are curvilinearly related among female victims but linearly related among males. Having children (in the home) increases the odds of police reporting by female victims, whereas being married does so for male victims. Our findings push forward our understanding of gender and age disparities in self-reporting victimization and highlight the need to better understand how one’s orientation to the criminal justice system changes as he or she transitions in (and out) of adult roles through the life course.

scholarly journals Exploring the effect of time and sex in family and community violence from 2008 to 2014

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevan Guilherme Nóbrega Barbosa ◽  
Lorrany Gabriela Rodrigues ◽  
Gizelton Pereira Alencar ◽  
Sérgio D’avila ◽  
Efigênia Ferreira e Ferreira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Family Violence ◽  
Community Violence ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Negative Binomial Regression ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Female Victims ◽  
Binomial Regression ◽  
Female Perpetrators ◽  
The Family

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of the time and the sex of victims and perpetrators on the rates of family and community physical violence in a Brazilian municipality over seven years (2008–2014). METHODS: We made a census analysis from non-fatal victims attended in the Forensic Institute of the Scientific Civil Police. The monthly and annual violence rates were calculated based on the population size of the municipality. Time series was evaluated by negative binomial regression models, based on the number of cases with population offset and considering the effect of the sex of victims and perpetrators. RESULTS: A total of 3,324 cases of family and 4,634 cases of community violence were analyzed. There was a significant increase in family violence rates for female victims and male perpetrators. Family violence rates were always higher for female victims than for male and it was always lower for female perpetrators than for male (p < 0.001). There was a lower risk of community violence for male victims after 2013 and a decrease of aggression perpetrated by men over time. Men and women were similarly affected by community violence; however, the perpetrators were more frequently men. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate a trend of increasing female victims in the family violence, mainly perpetrated by men. The reduction in community violence rates could be the result of policies to reduce crime.

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