Perpetrators of Alcohol-Involved Sexual Assaults: How Do They Differ From Other Sexual Assault Perpetrators and Non-perpetrators?

Running head: SEXUAL ASSAULT 1
Sexual Assault
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Institutional Affiliation

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Perpetrators of Alcohol-Involved Sexual Assaults: How Do They Differ From Other Sexual
Assault Perpetrators and Non-perpetrators?
Sexual assault has been defined as offenses that involve rape and other types of non-consensual
sexual contacts including the verbally forced sexual contact. According to research, 90 per cent
of all victims of sexual offenses are women. This study explores the sexual mannerisms among
perpetrators that abuse alcohol and the non-alcohol involved abusers. In this regard, the study
entails inquiry into behaviors of men who have committed sexual assault, men who have
committed sexual assault without alcohol and men who have not committed sexual assault.
Comparison between Perpetrators and Non Perpetrators
Perpetrators of sexual assault are markedly different from non-perpetrators on their sexual
behaviors, anti-social mannerisms and alcohol related tendencies. Brown and Forth (1997)
observed that incarcerated sexual offenders often depicted anti social behaviors. Such persons
were also reported to have little regard for social norms. Generally sexual offenders have been
found to bear diminished social skills as compared to non-perpetrators (Geer et al., 1997).
Studies on persons that exhibit sexual offensive tendencies lead to a combination of factors
including impulsiveness, aggressiveness and lack of empathy.
The age at which men begin their sexual activity is also a determinant of sexually aggressive
behavoiur. According to Abbey (1998), Kanin (1985) and others, men who began engaging in
sexual activity at a young age were more likely to commit sexual offenses as compared to men
who are not sexually active. The perception of men towards women also influenced their
propensity to commit sexual offenses. In this regard, men in this category assumed that the

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women were sexually attracted to them and were desirous of sex. Consequently, they felt entitled
to sex because of the feeling that the men led them on. The perception of men about women was
also blamed for sexual assault tendencies. Society defines women based on the perception that
they are the gatekeepers while men are the pursuers regarding sex (Rapaport and Burkhart,
1984). Connected to this thinking is the view that when women decline the sexual advances of
men, they actually mean to politely accept and were doing so to invite men into a chase.
Sexual Assaults that involve Alcohol and Those that do Not
Studies have linked sexual assault behavior to alcohol. Sexual offenses are more likely to take
place among partners who drank alcohol together compared to those that spent time without
consuming the drink. Sexual offenses involving alcohol are more likely among persons known to
the victim in a casual way. Regarding sexual assaults among alcohol and non-alcohol
perpetrators were similar based on the person that paid the most expenses during the outing
(Zawacki, Abbey, Buck, McAuslan and Clinton‐Sherrod, 2003). Bushman and Cooper (1990)
have found a direct correlation between alcohol abuse and sexually aggressive behavoiur.
Alcohol affects the motor functioning of individuals and as a result, leads to minimal resistance
in a rape ordeal.
Design and Hypothesis
The study involved men who were in college who participated in a survey to determine their
prior perception of sexual assault, measures of their personality traits and mannerisms. The
observations were examined against literature on men’s anti-social and sex-related behaviors.
Previous studies revealed that antisocial behavior was a common trait in both alcohol and non-