The Traumatic Experience Of Rape

Rape has changed several of its victims lives. Many victims suffer from psychological and physical issues. Many of the Psychological issues would include; PTSD, Depression, Flashbacks of the event, Eating/Sleeping disorders,

     There are two sides to a rape, the rapist and the victim. The victim is most of the time a woman but men are raped as well. It is a common myth that there is a type of woman that is more likely to be raped. This is indeed a myth, most of the time rape is a crime of opportunity, the victim is not chosen because of her looks or behavior, but because she is there (Benedict 2). The average rape victim is 18-39 years old and female, the average rapist is 25 years old and male. The effect of rape on a woman is an enormous one. The woman will come away from a rape with both physical and psychological damage. Eventually the physical wounds will heal, the psychological wounds will take quite some time before or if they ever heal (Grady 4). A sexual assault robs the woman of a sense of control; a feeling of loss of freedom is common among rape victims. To put her life in order she must regain this sense of control. Almost all rape victims suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (Benedict 2). The first symptom is the reliving or re-experiencing of the

“Feminism has not prepared them for this,” states Camille Paglia in her essay “Rape: A Bigger Danger than Feminists Know.” The “them” in Paglia’s statement is referring to women, and she is discussing the topic of date rape. Susan Jacoby, on the other hand, writes in her article “Common Decency,” that feminism is not responsible for the rising cases of date rape, but that it is the men who are at fault. Paglia’s argument is insightful and accurate, but Jacoby’s writing is flawed and not well-researched. Paglia includes all rhetorical appeals and persuasive techniques, while Jacoby lacks in some departments of persuasiveness and fills the gap with logical fallacies. Comparing both of these papers will help the reader see why

An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse exist in America today (Darness2Light, 2009a ). This figure continues to grow daily as perpetrators of this crime continue in this destructive path. The definition of child sexual abuse is the force, coercion, or cajoling of children into sexual activities by a dominant adult or adolescent. Sexual abuse of children includes touching (physical) sexually including: fondling; penetration (vaginal or anal using fingers, foreign objects or offenders organs; oral sex, or non-physical contact including: sexual comments; indecent exposures; masturbating in a child’s presence; child prostitution or child pornography (Child Welfare, 2009a).

In the fall of 1995, Kristin Cooper was a sophomore at Baker University in Kansas. She was a member of Alpha Chi Omega, an expert skier from the mountains of Colorado, a swimmer, and was active in band, choir and drama.

Forms of sexual assault that are entailed under this definition include forcible sodomy, child molestation, attempted rape, fondling, and sexual intercourse ("Here's Your Talking-Points Memo on Campus Sexual Assault"). The effects of sexual assault on a survivor include emotional, psychological, and physical burdens that are potentially detrimental if they are not managed in a timely or proper fashion ("Effects of Sexual Assault | RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network."). Devastatingly, the most common psychological effects of sexual violence are Depression, Self-Harm, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Dissociation, and Suicidal tendencies ("Effects of Sexual Assault | RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network."). Depression is a mood disorder that occurs when prolonged feelings of hopeless and despondency surpass an extended period of time and can be triggered by experiencing highly traumatic events. It is expected that survivors of any violent act experience depression, however if this mental illness is not treated within an appropriate amount of time it may cause the victim to have difficulties finding joy in predetermined hobbies, and basic daily

Thinking back I had no idea what time it was, three, maybe four in the morning. My black pajama shorts and purple Pensacola Florida tourist shirt were scattered across his white tiled bedroom floor. I closed my eyes as tight as I could trying to place myself somewhere else, anywhere else. While he was on top of me I kept telling myself “if i don’t see it, it didn’t happen. If I don’t see it, it didn’t happen.” I pushed as hard as I could, but his weight far overpowered mine. I kept thinking about what I had done wrong and what possessed him want to do this to me.

“An Unbelievable Story of Rape” The article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape,” written by authors Ken Armstrong and T. Christian Miller is a factual piece that not only tells the story of a young women’s unfavorable past but informs readers of how the public and law enforcement handle sex crimes. A young woman is raped and accused of lying and no one believes her story. Friends, family, and law enforcement make her feel pressured to confess and say she lied for attention. The detectives are then proven wrong and Marie (her middle name) gets her closure and the justice she deserves.

While men endure physical injuries, the psychological effects are the more prominent injury. Men who are sexually assaulted are likely to present high rates of depression and hostility (Iseley & Gehrenbeck-Shim, 1997; Walker et al., 2005). The men who have been sexually assaulted are generally more likely to show higher rates of depression and hostility than women who have been sexually assaulted (Carmen, Ricker, & Mills, 1984; Frazier, 1993; Goyer & Eddleman, 1984). Men who are victimized are 3.7 times as likely as non-victimized men to self-harm (King, 2002).

As reported by, feminist criminologists, their perspective of rape and sexual assault differ between liberal and radical feminists. Liberal feminists’ viewpoint in regards of rape as a gender-neutral assault on a persons’ autonomy and mainly focusing on the harm that rape can do to an individual. In contrast, radical feminists describe rape as a subject to be recognised and understood as a major pillar of patriarchy; a social system in which men claim the positions of dominance and control of the central norms and values that are linked with masculinity (Johnson, 2005: p. 4-15). The radical feminists believe that rape is a patriarchal structure within male power, thus displaying the harms that rape can do to an individual and as a group of women. Furthermore, the radical feminists approach view rape as male have the control and authority over the use of women’s bodies, which involves the sexual and reproductive. Hence, this is the core element of patriarchy, Radical feminist believe that rape is one of many forms that connects men’s sexual exploitation and violence, as well as, reinforcing women’s oppression (Whisnant, 2013).

Rape is an experience which shakes the foundations of the lives of the victims. For many its effect is long term, impairing their capacity for personal relationships, altering their behaviour and values and generating fear, Temkin (1986:17).

For most individuals, the thought of blaming the victim of a tragic experience for their own pain and suffering, seems preposterous. However, ascribing at least some of the blame to the victim is not uncommon (Niemi & Young, 2014). Victim blaming refers to individuals finding reasons to hold the victim of an incident responsible for the crime that took place (Hayes, Lorenz & Bell, 2013). For victims of sexual assault, who may already be experiencing self-blame and distrust of others, being blamed adds insult to injury (Harber, Podolski, & Williams, 2015). According to Harber et. al, victim blaming can also have long-term effects on victims, such as, increased anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In an effort to increase support and resources for survivors of sexual assault researchers must determine why individuals are prone to blaming the victims rather than the perpetrator of a crime.

Most people would agree that as you grow up you learn by seeing, feeling ,touching , smelling, and hearing . Albert Bandura supports this by a theory he created called the Social Learning Theory (McLeod, 2011). Social Learning Theory is a theory that explains that behavior is learned by your social environment, interactions and observations of others. With this theory I would say it supports opinion in which I would say that rape is not something somebody just decides one day to do. I believe that rape is learned throughout time. There are many social and even media factors that sometimes may come off with the intention that rape is acceptable. In some media factors they may even perceive that being forcibly raped is pleasurable. Movies tend to do it often and sometimes movies don 't realize that what people see on television can sometimes influence people to see these acts as a norm. For instance the fact that a college kid is in a frat and he 's in a party there is a good percentage that he would reenact what television had stereotype frats boys to do. Television would label the frat boys as potential rapist and the human mind would consider that when you take on that role as a frat boy. One of the biggest media factors all the way from television to the internet that for so many years that perceive rape as acceptable is pornography.

Most people think that rape is about sex but it is not. If rape was about getting sex the person would just go and have sex with someone who wants to give it to them. Paying for sex is better than going out and raping someone. Rape is also called sexual assault. Rape is about having power and control over someone. Rape is defined as one person forcing another person, without his or her consent and using violence or threatening violence, to have intercourse or other forms of sexual activity. Usually when people hear about rape they think of a man raping a woman, but rape can happen to anyone. It is one of the worst things that can happen to someone. Some people think that rape is

     Webster’s Dictionary describes rape as the crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts, especially sexual intercourse. Rape is a crime in which most women cannot defend themselves. The fear of rape plagues every woman at some point or another in her life. The traumatic effects of rape vary from mild to severe, from psychological to physical. This paper will evaluate rape, as well as the effects it has on women, the theory behind male dominance and patriarchy, and differences in demographics.