Rape Nature Or Nurture Essay

Rape: Nature or Nurture? Women are overrepresented in the rape victim pool. Men can be victims of rape as well, but rape mainly effects women (Miller 383). This leads theorists to the question: what is different in males that causes them to rape far more often than females? Often, the answer stems from either a nature or nurture standpoint. In “Sex Crimes I: Rape and Sexual Assault”, the author, Laurence Miller, discusses rape as a product of nurture. He argues that rape is mainly caused by societal and cultural upbringing. On the other side, Randy Thornhill and Craig T. Palmer, authors of “Why Men Rape”, argue that nature is the main cause of rape. They believe that rape is an evolutionary adaptation. Although both “Sex Crimes I: Rape and Sexual Assault” and “Why Men Rape” have similar views discussing high rape rates, the articles differ vastly in determining the specific nature or nurture aspects of rape, for example, whether rape is an act of sex or violence. “Sex Crimes I: Rape and Sexual Assault” by Laurene Miller explores the characteristics of male rapists and theories of their motives. Miller …show more content…
Palmer discuss rape from a sociobiologist standpoint. More specifically, Thornhill and Palmer argue that rape is the result of years of evolutionary adaptations as a way to increase sexual fitness. In other words, the article discusses the idea that rape could be another way to increase the number of female partners a man has to increase his chances of leaving behind offspring with his same DNA. Upon hearing a story of a friend’s rape experience, Thornhill and Palmer began to wonder why men rape in order to prevent future rapes. “Prevention efforts will founder until they are based on the understanding that rape evolved as a form of male reproductive behavior” (Thornhill par. 1). The authors explore their thesis through examining evolution and comparing their findings to current prevention