ABSTRACT
A major thesis of this book is that rape is an acquired behavior, an act of normal deviance, found in societies or cultural groups whose social, economic, and political structures support sexual violence through the subordination and devaluation of women. At the same time, we also know that not all men in sexually violent societies or cultural groups rape. The task in this chapter is to develop a profile of convicted rapists and to explore what, if anything, in their backgrounds or belief systems might distinguish them from other categories of men. This profile will provide a picture of the type of man in prison for rape, who, it must be kept in mind, is more likely to fit the psychopathological model than men who rape but avoid detection or conviction. And because rapists are often presented as a special, "sicker" kind of offender, the control group of other felons, those never convicted of rape, will be used to identify major differences between the two groups. In general, if rapists and other felons emerge as significantly dissimilar, it will lend weight to the psychopathological explanation. However, if only minimal distinguishing characteristics are discovered, it will suggest that men who rape may not be so "special" or "different" after all.
