Exploring the relationship between empathy and attitudes towards sex offenders

Research Project
(SPSS)

Abstract
The present study initiates to exploring the relationship between empathy and attitudes
towards sex offenders, therefore, it is a wide area of academic writing which is effective in
providing in-depth evaluation over the physiological and human perception. The psychological
students mainly have positive empathy’s and attitude towards the sex offenders whereas, general
public has negative responses. Sexual offensiveness is a crime which has a huge impact over the
society and the living of people. Whereas, sex offender is recognised as an individual who has
been committing to a crime which is particularly related with sexual assault and abuse with
major and minors both. Due to the sex offenses seriousness, number of the factors come into the
pay when this comes to penalties and sentencing for the sex offenders at federal and state levels.
In this present investigation, the analysis is executed over the study of Britain, therefore, crime in
against of women are notoriously underreported in the UK and around the globe, particularly
when they are of a sexual nature. Underreporting through the women or minors happens around
the globe. According to the 2017 National Crime Victimization Survey, In the United States, a
staggering around 77 percent of rapes and sexual assaults are never being reported to the police.
It’s even worse in the United Kingdom, where the Office for National Statistics reports that more
than 80 percent of sexual assaults go unreported. Even though, when they are reported, it hardly
matters: Of the 57,600 rapes which were reported in 2018 in the U.K., only 2,822 of those
resulted in a criminal charge. In this study, literature review is developing to providing
theoretical support to the investigation with the help implementing suitable concepts, theories
and models. Here, in the project, the entire analysis is based on quantitative study, as here,
quantitative research is being implemented by the researcher to aid the project in right manner
via the assistance of suitable statistical and mathematical information. In addition to this, the
analysis of the information is based on SPSS, therefore, this is significant to conducting
descriptive statistical analysis with mean, mode, variance standard deviation and MANNOVA to
support the argument. In this thematic analysis approach is implemented to suitably determining
the results. At the end, conclusion has been derived in the form of summary where discussion has
been held over the findings of the project. Hence, in the conclusion the supportive empathy and
attitude of psychology students are determined whereas the general people shows negative
empathy and attitude towards the sexual offenders.

Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................2
Contents...........................................................................................................................................3
Title:.................................................................................................................................................4
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Quantitative studies........................................................................................................................10
Research methodology...................................................................................................................12
Results............................................................................................................................................15
U501- Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI).........................................................................15
U985 – Belief Attitudes Towards Treatment of Sex Offenders (B-ATTSO)......................57
Discussion....................................................................................................................................106
Conclusion..........................................................................................................................107
Recommendations..............................................................................................................107
References....................................................................................................................................109

Title:
Exploring the relationship between empathy and attitudes towards sex offenders.
Introduction
Background of Study
Sex offender is an individual who has to be committed sex crime. It has been convicted of
the sex crimes for an instance sexual conduct or sexual assault with minor. Due to the sex
offenses seriousness, number of the factors come into the pay when this comes to penalties and
sentencing for the sex offenders at federal and state levels. They have violated law that in sexual
category. Some of crimes that result in mandatory sex- offender consists second position
conviction, relationship among the teenagers and young adults in minor corruption and receiving
or sending obscene content in SMS text form. In regards to this, sex offender registration
legislations United States many classify minimum serious offense as the sexual offense needing
the sex offender registration (Avcı and Sak, 2018). In some of the state unlawful imprisonment
and having sex on the beach of minor constitute the sexual offenses needing registration. Policy
makers and society have long struggled with searching the better ways in order to protect public
from the sex offenders. As per latest figures in June year 2018, there were the 13,535 inmates
serving the prison terms in context to sex offences in Wales and England. Number of the
registered sex offenders has enhanced from 34,939 to 58,637 in March 2018. Other than this,
child sex offender disclosure scheme in the England and Wales permit anyone to ask police if
anyone with access to child has record for offences regarding child abuse.
Why the topic has been studied and why it is interesting
The current research is based on the sex offenders that is a current topic. This is a major
issue in each and every nation regarding the sex offenders. This is an interesting topic because
with the help of this, understanding regarding the attitudes and empathy of psychology students
and society towards sex offenders can be enhanced.
Evaluation of the previous research
It is evaluated from the previous study that sex offender has negative effect on female by
impacting their mental and physical health. In previous studies, there were lots of information
available regarding the sex offenders, but there were lack or missing information about the
empathy and attitudes of British public and Psychology students towards sex offenders (Bailey,
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2018). This is a main gap of the research. Theoretical framework of the study will be shown as
below:
Figure 1: Theoretical Framework of Sex Offenders
(Source: Theoretical Framework of Sex Offenders, 2020)
From the above mentioned the Theoretical Framework of Sex Offenders, it has been
interpreted attitudes and empathy of society and psychology students towards the Sex Offenders.
In this, attitudes and empathy of psychology students towards the Sex Offenders is positive and
more focus on the reason behind sex. Along with this, attitudes and empathy of society is
negative and largely ignored. Therefore, attitudes and empathy of both such as psychology
students and society has inverse relationship in the direction of the sex offenders.
Research Aim
The research aim is mainly expresses aspiration or intention of research study. This mainly
summarise in single sentence what hope to attain at end of investigation project (Martínez-
Catena, Redondo, Frerich and Beech, 2017). It is necessary to an investigator that aim of
research should be particular in nature in such a manner that is possible to determine when to be
attained it.
The aim of this study is “To investigate empathy and attitudes towards sex offenders in the
British public and Psychology students.”
Research Objectives
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These explains concise what an investigation is trying to be attain. They are mainly
summarising accomplishments an investigator mainly wishes to attain by project and gives
direction to study.
 To explore the difference between psychology students and the public in empathy and
attitudes towards sex offenders.
 To explore the relationship between empathy and attitudes towards sex offenders.
Research Questions
 What is the difference between psychology students and the public in empathy and
attitudes towards sex offenders?
 What is the relationship between empathy and attitudes towards sex offenders?
Along with this, there are different sources or methods that will be used for collecting qualitative
or secondary information. These sources are books, articles, journals, publication research and
many more. All these are important sources because it will help investigator in accomplishing of
each objective of the dissertation successfully and effectively. This is considered as the
systematized procedures that aids researcher to accumulates comprehensive as well as secondary
information (Balvig and et. al., 2015). Moreover, the researchers require various tools for
collecting secondary and comprehensive information upon analysis. In addition to this, there are
books, journals. Academics and others which are incorporated into secondary sources. Along
with this, there are essential tools that re utilised as well as accumulate deep information upon
investigation for investigators. Additionally, the research may able to describe few of the
research aim and objectives with assistance of literature review.
Difference between psychology students and the public in empathy and attitudes towards
sex offenders.
According to the Marshall, Marshall and Olver (2017), sex offender can be defined as the
person who has done a sex crime. Sex offender is also known as sex abuser or sexual abuser.
Basically a person who has committed a crime by violating a law involved in a sexual category.
There are many crimes which are involved in sex offending crimes like a young adult having a
physical relationship with the teenager, sending or receiving vulgar or filthy content through
messages or texts.
General public attitude towards sex offenders-
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The general public is very harsh towards the sex offenders, they believe that sex
offenders are re offenders who do the same crime again and again in comparison to other crimes.
They also believe that these sex offenders resist themselves from the process of treatments and
rehabilitation. The general public do not believe on sentencing the sex offenders because they
find sentencing not severe enough. Public wants treatment for the sex offenders rather than the
long penal punishments (Cale and et. al., 2015). In a survey when people are provided with the
option of rehabilitation and punishment for the sex offenders, they have chosen the both that is
treatment as well as punishment. Public basically judge the offenders, they are the people who
think and do things emotionally. And the general public takes the sex crimes as the most wrong
crime.
Psychology student’s attitude towards sex offenders-
Psychology students are the students who have the knowledge to understand the mind and
emotions of the person. While dealing with the sex offenders the psychology students do not
occupy their mind with their own thoughts and views about the sex offenders. Psychology
students try to understand the situation of the sex offender; they try to understand the mental
stability of the offender (D’Urso and et. al., 2019). Psychology students focus on giving sessions
rather than the punishments to offenders. They use their knowledge and skills to give proper
treatment to the sex offenders. Psychology students do not make pre assumptions about the
offender because then this will affect the process of treatment. According to the Martínez-Catena
and et. al., (2017), psychology students work more practically, they often try not to judge the
offender emotionally just because he has done the crime.
Difference between attitude of psychology students and general public-
The basic difference between the attitude of psychology students and general public is
that general public makes judgements emotionally whereas the students of psychology do not
make judgements on any emotional aspects, they use their knowledge and make decisions and
treat the offenders with the practical aspects (Marotta, 2017). When general public listens about
the crime committed by the sex offenders they just want to see the sex offender punished
whereas psychology students try to apply their knowledge and learn the state of mind of the sex
offender.
On the other hand, Hackman (2018), Sex offender is an individual who has to be
committed sex crime. It has been convicted of the sex crimes for an instance sexual conduct or
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sexual assault with minor. Due to the sex offenses seriousness, number of the factors comes into
the pay when this comes to penalties and sentencing for the sex offenders at federal and state
levels. Therefore, there is difference among the psychology students as well as the public
empathy and attitudes towards sex offenders. In respect of public offenders, Psychology students
are more likely to express to have positive attitudes towards sex offenders than the general
public. Moreover, the public have formed adverse attitudes towards sex offenders. Such as, most
of people attitudes towards sex offenders is that they have to be imprisoned as well as get
treatment. However, the public do not expect that treatment should be occurring into community
but instead into correctional facilities. In addition to this, those individuals which show empathic
understanding towards other individuals are more likely to respond more positively and
favourably, in this case a sex offender (FORTUNE, Ward and Mann, 2015). It may be argued
that attitudes towards sex offenders are influenced by empathy, where empathetic individuals are
more positive due their increased capacity for perception and empathic concern. It is also seen
that most of the public thing women are less likely to be six offenders and the attitude is also
related to male sex offenders. When comparing the attitude of psychology students as well as
general populations towards them there is a lot of difference seen. On the other hand, McCartan,
Kemshall and Tabachnick (2015), Here The psychology students are often focusing upon the
reason behind which sex offences have been committed by these offenders. They successfully
understand the behaviour and the situations which have led to this behaviour of sex offenders.
On the other hand, public attitude towards sex offenders is largely ignored and they are not at all
empathetic towards these sex offenders.
Relationship between empathy and attitudes towards sex offenders
According to the Olver and et. al., (2018), has been determined that the lack of empathy is
undertaken as the vital factors into perpetration of sexual offences. Moreover, the sex offender
does not lack empathy but that its empathy defects are restricted to its conceptions of their
victims. In addition to this, there are differences among empathy and attitudes towards sex
offenders. Empathy has been connected to prosaically behaviour and a lack of empathy to
tendency to be aggressive marking research and concept on empathy in offenders a main priority.
As per the view of Marshall L. E. (2018), Empathy is demonstrated as progressing by four
phases such as emotion recognition, perspective taking, emotional response and reparative
action. Attitudes regarding sexual offenders seem to vary among professionals and public.
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