Moderating Factors in Culpability Ratings and Rape Proclivity in Stranger and Acquaintance Rape: Validation of Rape Vignettes in a Community Sample

Factors Behind Contemporary Rape Myths in Europe: A Systematic Review

Rape myths are social constructs, deeply rooted in European society. They play a role in maintaining false beliefs about sexual violence and are one of the main factors in sexual abuse behavior. In this review article, the authors focused on the factors influencing the perpetuation and spread of false beliefs regarding sexual violence, its victims, and perpetrators. The goal of the study is to achieve a more profound comprehension of the cultural and social dimensions linked to this occurrence. In conducting the systematic literature review, three databases have been used to search for pertinent articles: ProQuest, Scopus, and ERIH Plus. Only peer-reviewed scientific articles in English published between 2013 and 2023 were deemed eligible. Furthermore, inclusion criteria stipulated that articles must present empirical research of European origin, focusing on the keywords: "myths about rape," "myths about sexual violence," and "myths about rape." In total 2,507 articles were initially identified, with 79 ultimately meeting the inclusion criteria. The analysis revealed the presence of several factors influencing the function of rape myths. These were categorized into sociodemographic, individual, and systemic. The general populace of European society commonly holds beliefs in rape myths. Moreover, numerous studies point to large legal and systemic inequalities that lead to social inequalities and, consequently, to the perpetuation of rape culture through victimization and victim blaming. This review demonstrates the need for future research on sex education as a factor in preventing rape myths.

[Trauma and memory-A contribution to the current debate in law and psychotherapy]

The recall of memories of past events, experiences and emotions is a complex process. When experiencing traumatic events, as is the case with sexual violence, a host of additional complexities and difficulties arise. This becomes especially important in court cases which rely mostly or exclusively on the testimony of the victim, where the problem of the fallibility of memory takes center stage. Some research studies emphasize the possibility of inducing, altering or suppressing memories, especially in the context of psychotherapy. This has led to the unfortunate reality that the testimony of victims who have undergone psychotherapy is often considered to be unreliable. This in turn can lead to the impression that a decision has to be made between treatment of the adverse effects of traumatic events and maximizing the chances for a conviction of the perpetrator in court. This article introduces some central concepts of our current understanding of memory and gives an overview of the relevant scientific literature and debate. Following this, it examines the dilemma as it pertains to the different groups of all involved parties (i.e., victims, members of the judiciary and psychotherapists). Lastly, it proposes a framework of how to approach a solution to this problem by focusing on research in critical areas, expansion of therapy guidelines and documentation procedures as well as communication of these efforts to all parties involved.

When Men Who Dislike Feminists Feel Proud: Can Self-Affirmation and Perspective-Taking Increase Men’s Empathy Toward Feminists?

Abuse against women’s rights activists is a serious concern, but there is a lack of research into strategies on how to reduce this. Past research has identified self-affirmation (i.e., thinking about one’s valued traits) and perspective-taking as promising strategies to reduce minority target backlash. Through one pilot study ( n = 98), and one two-part experimental study ( n = 202), we tested the effect of perspective-taking and self-affirmation on empathy toward feminism among men. Fictional Facebook profiles were manipulated to encourage perspective-taking, perspective-taking with self-affirmation, or were neutral in content. Participants then rated feelings toward individual feminists as well as feelings (in the context of perspective-taking emotions) toward abuse faced by feminists more generally. Results indicated that perspective-taking combined with self-affirmation promoted empathetic feelings (as represented by perspective-taking emotions) toward feminists experiencing abuse. The impact on empathy was particularly strong among men with high initial prejudice toward feminists. These results suggest that self-affirmation could potentially reduce online abuse of feminists through an increase in empathetic feelings. This research has broader implications for male engagement within feminism, and we recommend that educators and male allies of feminism promote positive, affirming roles for men (e.g., as fathers), as this may encourage empathy toward feminist issues. Policy makers could consider this strategy in the context of promoting policies such as shared parental leave. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843211017472