Erotic Preference, Gender Identity, and Aggression in Men

New Research Studies

Ron Langevin

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9781138451858
• eBook ISBN: 9781317757603
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Clinical Psychology
• Index: Psychology

A fresh and challenging re-evaluation of the interrelationship between sexual and gender behavior and aggression. Drawing on a series of previously unpublished controlled research studies on rapists, pedophiles, incest offenders, voyeurs, transsexuals, and homosexuals (among others), the book offers startling new findings- e.g., crossdressing and feminine gender identity in rapists believed to be ultra-masculine, aggressiveness in pedophiles believed to be shy and passive. This book brings a new perspective to understanding sexual anomalies and to the conceptual foundations on which clinical research and treatment of these behaviors rests.

IA	SEXUAL AGGRESSION

The three chapters in this section examine rapists and voyeurs. The former are known in some cases to injure their victims physically and in others they appear only to desire sexual intercourse. It has been claimed that rape is not sexual but instead is aggressive. Rapists then may share many features in common with nonsexually aggressive men. Other writers have noted that rape is a sexual anomaly associated with peeping, exposing, touching, and sadism. It has been suggested that these latter behaviors may be precursors of rape. Thus, in detecting them, we have opportunities to prevent the more violent and dangerous offences. Study One evaluates whether rapists are more similar to violent men or to sexually anomalous men. The treatment and disposition of the rapist would differ markedly depending on this result.

1 Are Rapists Sexually Anomalous, Aggressive, or Both?

Ron Langevin,

Daniel Paitich,

Anne E. Russon

Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto

An important fundamental question has yet to be addressed empirically before we can understand and satisfactorily design treatment programs for sexually aggressive men. Is rape an anomalous sexual act, the forceful taking of normal sexual pleasure by an antisocial individual or a blend of both? Stoller (1975) considered rape, among other “perversions,” to be “erotic forms of hatred” in which the core desire is to hurt people. Some Contemporary exponents of women’s rights also express the strong opinion that rape is fundamentally an aggressive act. Brownmiller (1975), for example, stated categorically that from prehistoric times to the present, rape has been a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear. One might expect from this point of view that rapists would not be different from the average person. Nevertheless she concurred that the typical American rapists is an aggressive hostile youth who chooses to do violence to women. She also noted that the rapists “borrows” the characteristics of assaultive and property offenders; he damages another person like assaultive men do, and like the robber, he acquires property; he wants “to have” her body. So a female is seen as both a hated person and desired property.

Holmstrom and Burgess (1980), among others, also described rape as “an act of violence expressing power, aggression, conquest, degradation, anger, hatred, and contempt”.¹ They examined 115 rape victims and reported on the sexual acts performed by the assailants. Although the majority performed vaginal intercourse (96%) and fellatio (22%), up to 5% urinated on the victim or their underwear, placed a knife handle in the vagina or placed semen on the victim’s body. Thus, a minority of cases seem sadistic, but the majority could be satisfying strictly conventional albeit “stolen” sexual needs.

Groth and Birnbaum (1979) described rape as a “pseudosexual act” addressing issues of anger and power more than passion. They considered it a misconception that the rapist is a lusty male, is sexually frustrated, or harbors “perverted” desires.² They go so far as to say rape is always mdforemost aggressive. They identified three types of rape: anger rape in which sex is a hostile act; power rape which is an act of conquest; and sadistic rape in which anger and power are eroticized. The incidences of each type in their study were 55% power, 40% anger, and 5% sadistic rapes. Other researchers express similar views.

Levine and Koenig (1980) summarized detailed interviews with 10 convicted rapists. They construed rape as nonsexual and suggested some dynamics underlying the “hostility.” Their resulting hypotheses were that rapists are: (1) sexually ignorant and have no understanding of female sexual arousal; (2) generally hate women as a group and want to punish them; (3) see their own sexuality as inseparable from aggression; (4) use rape solely to establish their masculinity; their own pleasure is dissociated from the act; and (5) they are seif centered and do not see sex as mutually gratifying.

Some writers have argued that rape may be a byproduct of general criminality. Conceivably the force or threat in rape may be an instrumental act much as a thief might use to obtain his victim’s property. As Amir (1971) noted, rape is carried out by aggressive men who are used to taking what they want. Thus, it is no accident that rapists are also frequently common thieves as well.³

Other writers have stressed the sexually anomalous nature of rape. Freund (1976; Freund, Scher, &...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• IA. Sexual Aggression
• IB. Related Factors in Sexual Aggression: Alcohol and the Brain
• II. Pedophilia and Incest
• III. Homosexuality, Transvestism, and Transsexualism
• Summary, Conclusions, and Speculations
• Appendix A A New Version of the Clarke Sex History Questionnaire for Males
• Appendix B Sex History Questionnaires Scoring Manual
• Appendix C Supplementary SHQ Scales
• Appendix D Supplement to Chapter 11
• Author Index
• Subject Index