ABSTRACT
Over the past several decades, rape has become a "medicalized" social problem. The theories used to explain rape are predicated on psychopathological models. They have been generated from clinical experiences with small samples of rapists, often the therapists' own clients. Evidence indicates that rape is not a behavior confined to a few "sick" men but many men have the attitudes and beliefs necessary to commit a sexually aggressive act. The frequency of rape in the United Slates makes it unlikely that responsibility rests solely with a small lunatic fringe of psychopathic men. A central assumption in the psychopathological model is that male sexual aggression is unusual or strange. Ethnographic data from pre-industrial societies show the existence of rape-free cultures, though explanations for the phenomena differ. The feminist perspective views rape as an act of violence and social control which functions to "keep women in their place".
