Abstract
This study investigated the relationship between sexual aggression and date rape and the character traits of anger, hostility, impulsivity, psychopathology, peer pressure, and pornography use. Male college students (N=480) completed a questionnaire that consisted of 10 instruments measuring character traits and sexual aggressive behavior. Areas addressed in the questionnaire included background information (age, ethnicity, classification and year in school), sexual experiences, the relationship between the victim and the offender, the likelihood to rape, hostility toward women, anger, impulsivity, psychopathology, validity, and pornography use. The findings revealed that 37% of the male respondents used some type of verbal pressure to obtain sexual intercourse on at least one occasion. The percentage of males who admitted to using force to obtain sexual intercourse was 2.4%, while 1.6% admitted to raping a woman.
The results indicated that males who used pornography and experienced more pressure from their peers were disproportionately involved in sexual aggression and date rape. Difficulty with expressing anger was found in males who manipulated circumstances in order to obtain sex. Impulsivity, hostility toward women, and psychopathology were not predictive of sexual aggression. The findings are supportive of previous research linking sexual aggression to pornography use and peer influences. Thus, interventions in these areas may be particularly effective in minimizing the occurrence of these destructive behaviors. (Author/NB)
Descriptors: Acquaintance Rape, Aggression, Anger, College Students, Conceptual Tempo, Higher Education, Hostility, Incidence, Males, Peer Influence, Pornography, Psychopathology, Sexual Abuse, Sexuality
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