Article
Predicting perceptions of date rape: An examination of perpetrator motivation, relationship length, and gender role beliefs
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
(2012)
Abstract
The purpose of the current study is to examine the influence of multiple offender motivations (including no indication of a motivation), relationship length, and gender role beliefs on perceptions of a male-on-female date rape. A sample of 348 U.S. college students read a brief vignette depicting a date rape and completed a questionnaire regarding their attributions about the victim (culpability, credibility, trauma, pleasure) and perpetrator (culpability, guilt, sentencing recommendations). Results indicate that providing observers with information about the perpetrator’s motivation was associated with lower victim blame. Relationship length is not predictive of rape attributions. Egalitarian gender role attitudes are associated with lower levels of victim blame. Overall, gender role attitudes exert a more significant influence on rape attributions than participant gender. The findings suggest that knowledge of an offender’s motivation as well as observers’ gender role attitudes can influence attributions about the culpability of victims and perpetrators of date rape.
Keywords
- rape perceptions,
- motivation,
- gender role beliefs,
- date rape
Disciplines
Publication Date
February, 2012
Citation Information
D. J. Angelone, Damon Mitchell and Lauren Lucente. "Predicting perceptions of date rape: An examination of perpetrator motivation, relationship length, and gender role beliefs" Journal of Interpersonal Violence Vol. 27 Iss. 13 (2012) p. 2582 - 2602 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/david-angelone/7/