Authors
Kimberly A Lonsway, Louise F Fitzgerald
Publication date
1994/6
Journal
Psychology of women quarterly
Volume
18
Issue
2
Pages
133-164
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Description
Theories of sexual aggression and victimization have increasingly emphasized the role of rape myths in the perpetuation of sexual assault. Rape myths are attitudes and generally false beliefs about rape that are widely and persistently held, and that serve to deny and justify male sexual aggression against women. Acceptance of such myths has been assessed with a number of measures, and investigators have examined its relationship with numerous variables and interventions. Although there has been extensive research in this area, definitions, terminology, and measures of rape myth acceptance (RMA) continue to lack adequate theoretical and psychometric precision. Despite such criticisms, we emphasize that the significance of this type of research cannot be overstated because it has immense potential for the understanding of sexual assault. The present article offers a theory-based definition of rape myths …
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Scholar articles
KA Lonsway, LF Fitzgerald - Psychology of women quarterly, 1994