Social Learning Theory: The Cultural Construction Of Rape Culture

Great Essays
The cultural construction of rape, or rape culture, is a somewhat misunderstood term in mainstream society. Many people shy away from the expression because it seems at first glance to demonize all men as evil predators. In reality, however, rape culture refers to a much broader social phenomenon that addresses both men and women. In an article for the Globe and Mail, for instance, Jordan Venton-Rublee defines a rape culture as “the environment that puts the onus on the victim, not the perpetrator”. Marshall University Women’s Centre also addresses the concept on their website, establishing that while rape culture does largely refer to victim blaming, it also can be seen more broadly as “an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which …show more content…
In his book, Ellis outlines three main sources for the social learning theory as established by Bandura; the impact from friends and family, culture and subculture, as well as the mass media (12). Proponents for the social learning theory also maintain that there are four processes which lead to sexual aggression, the modelling effect, the sex-violence linkage effect, the “rape myth” effect, and the desensitization effect. The modelling effect refers to imitating and modelling what one sees depicted in the mass media, meaning if one regularly sees violent depictions of rape and other sexual aggression they will be more likely to adopt such behaviour. Similarly, the sex-violence linkage effect refers to a type of modelling, though it is more focused on the depiction of sex and violence continually in the same context, which can lead to sexual desire and satisfaction coming from pain and causing others pain. The “rape myth” effect, in comparison, discusses the possibility that sexual aggression is caused by society perpetuating belief in various “rape myths” such as “No means Yes,” and “Women secretly desire to be raped” (12 - 13). Lastly, the desensitization effect refers to the eventual desensitization to the “pain, fear and humiliation of sexual aggression” through repeated exposure to various media sources which normalize the action

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    Rape on U.S. College Campuses: Causes, Effects, and What’s Being Done to Stop It Rape culture on college campuses is pervasive and blatant, but universities, as well as fellow students, politicians, law enforcement officials, media messages, and gender roles in a culture where men dominate and women are not taken as seriously, endorse the bias that sexual assault is the victim’s fault or “unavoidable” in a culture where X, instead of focusing on preventing rape by changing the behavior of perpetrators. Rape culture on campus is perpetuated by the media, U.S. laws, and universities trying to protect their name. The continued emphasis on the actions of sexual assault victims, instead of aggressors, is a real problem in U.S. colleges today and…

    • 1890 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Rape Social Codes

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Attitudes and actions within society reflect the normalization of sexual assault and violence. Rape culture is present in the daily lives of all Americans, whether it be a young woman being cat called on the city streets or a tolerated joke about rape. Social codes are a vital part of this attitude. Men are taught to be dominant and their violence and aggression is condoned because it is considered their nature. There is a culture in which young men are taught to score, get laid, bang or screw; all terms which are inherently violent and do nothing to include the consent vital for sex.…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Victim Blaming In Rape

    • 1333 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Literature Review Theoretical Orientation Living in a society where victim blaming in rape cases has become a social norm when exploring rape culture as a whole. Focusing primarily on victim blaming, research can provide evidence of inequalities in the criminal justice system that impacts the sentencing of perpetrators. Common aspects seem from victim blaming is creditable of the victim, perpetrator’s race, and/or class, and patriarchy has all influence sentencing in regards to the guilty party. In fact, cultures of patriarchy have shown “higher level of female sociopolitical power tended to experience higher rates of rape and the lower proportion of rape cases cleared by arrest” (Johnson, 2014). As well as, when “female involvement increased…

    • 1333 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After the recent case that has been in the news with sex offender Brock Turner, and his unjust confinement of 6 months (and only actually serving 3) for a potential 14-year charge, conversation surrounding sexual assault has sky rocketed. The topic I am researching is rape culture: what it entails, statistics concerning rape culture, as well as why and as how it is present in today’s society. Rape culture is the normalizing of rape, dehumanization of (mainly) women, but also applies to men, and shows that there is an actual problem in our society and that it needs to be addressed. "Southern Connecticut State University." Rape Culture, Victim Blaming, and The Facts.…

    • 1726 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    On the other side of the issue exists the compulsion carried out by the people who commit the crime of rape, because according to a the article, “A Longitudinal Examination of Male College Students’ Perpetration of Sexual Assault”, authors Atonia Abbey and Pam McAuslan reported that 9% of college males admitted to the legal definition or rape, along with have had attempted rape in the past (Abbey & McAuslaun, 2004, P.72, 05). So what causes this behavior among men, is it purely a physical desire or is it the theory that they are subliminally socialized into the rape acceptance culture by their family, peers and the media. To further explain my analysis, in his works, “Social Norms and the Likelihood of Raping: Perceived Rape Myth Acceptance of Others Affects Men’s Rape Proclivity” Researcher and Professor Gerd Bohner discusses the multiple causes for violence against women. His first theory is rape myths, which are a set of beliefs that are thought to allow men to justify their sexual aggression towards women. He examines if men 's rape proclivity(or rape predisposition) may be influenced not only by their own individual definition of rape myths but also by beliefs held by his social circle; that they might indirectly contribute to sexual violence by creating excuses for the rapist’s actions.…

    • 1953 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gender is a key concept in Anthropology. Gender is known as something you define yourself as (notes). While sex is framed as a biological concept (notes). Anthropological research on cultural variations to develop a definition for gender, in return to such casual biological predestination. The more anthropologist discovered and learned about other cultures, the more certain patterns developed.…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Rape Myths In College

    • 202 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Rape myths continue to encourage these derogatory terms for the women and hide the actual reality of rape culture. For many that read the letter to the perpetrator of the Stanford University sexual assault victim realized that it provided an entry point into the controversial and complicated realities on the punishment given to sexual assault offenders. While the case provided a platform for many people to have a glimpse of the perennial problem that our college students, especially the girls and LGTB people undergo every day, the attacks do not have such coverage. It is the poor coverage on matters of sexual assaults on students that have been shrugged off by both society and schools alike, that provides a breeding ground for individuals…

    • 202 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Tough Guise 2 Gender

    • 1007 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Pop-culture in today’s society influences violence with sexual behaviors and how different races, genders, and sexualities are viewed and interact. On page 95 of Introduction to Sociology 2 edition, it states “… who we are as human beings develops through social interaction.” People become and structure themselves through others and what they are exposed to. This is how “Tough Guise 2” explains that masculinity is shaped through media. For example, the “tough guy pose”.…

    • 1007 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Imagine walking down the street late at night, and suddenly being pulled into a ditch and being sexually assaulted. Or telling your husband no when he makes sexual advances, and being ignored. Or drinking a bit too much the night before and waking up in a bed with all your clothes gone. People will tell you “you shouldn’t have drank too much”, or “your husband can’t rape you”, or even “your provocative outfit was asking for it”. Society will use every excuse to turn the blame on the victim.…

    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Rape culture A shocking 1.3 million women experience rape every year in the United States. Although a sensitive topic, rape is not an issue that should be disregarded. Rape is the action of being sexually taken by force, and although the target may be male or female, statistics prove that it is more common for women to be the victims. There are multiple reasons why women are more likely to be sexually assaulted than men, and are also likely to avoid reporting an incident that may have occurred.…

    • 1610 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Introduction Perceptions about the severity of rape encompass considerations about the liability of the victim and perpetrator, assessments of motives, and numerous psychological consequences (Ben-David & Schneider, 2005). In a rape-supportive culture, minimizations of harshness of rape can be asserted by refusal to label the situation as rape or by characterizing the situation as not being psychologically damaging which is a violation of the rights of the victim (Glass, 2002). Traditional sex scripts of men and women create a rape-supportive culture in the United States (Check & Malamuth, 1983). Rape is a coherent extension of our cultures sex role socialization process that legitimizes coercive sexuality.…

    • 1744 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    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.…

    • 1902 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Rape culture varies in many different forms. “In a rape culture, women perceive a continuum of threatened violence that rages from sexual…

    • 1415 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When american culture thinks of rape, women are immediately the victims that come to one's mind. We’ve painted a picture that says, women are initially the one gender that can be raped, and if we were to think a man could get raped by a women. It would be absolutely ridiculous to think a women could overpower a man. We have adapted to live in a civilization that romantics about masculinity. Unfortunately in the process we’ve turned a blind eye to smallest anticipation that a man can be raped by a women as well.…

    • 1509 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    “RAPE, TEN THINGS TO DO ABOUT IT, like it was ten new hairdos or something.” The desensitization of sexual assault is promptly addressed by Margaret Atwood’s short story “Rape Fantasies.” The magazine article that the women are reading in and the title alone demonstrates how society creates rape to be this romanticized and skewed act.…

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays

Related Topics