Rape in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Rape in America - Essay ExampleThis figure translates to an incidence rate of 64.8 victims of forcible rate for every 100,000 women and girls (FBI, 2003). The report also states that around 91 percent of these victims suffered rapes by core while 9 percent account experiencing forcible rape attempts by an some other person.Although definitions of rape in every society, culture and nationality varies and considered very complex, the law provides basic situations or conditions for the commission of this crime. The National offence Victimization Survey (NCVS), established in the 1960s, defines rape as forced sexual intercourse including both psychological coercion as well as physical force. Forced sexual intercourse means vaginal, anal, or oral penetration by the offender (Kilpatrick, 2004).The Federal Criminal Code of 1986 has a antithetical definition of rape. It does not use the term rape per se but uses worsen sexual abuse instead. According to this law, there are two types o f aggravated sexual abuse. These are (1) aggravated sexual abuse by force or holy terror of force and (2) aggravated sexual abuse by other means. (Title 18, Chapter 109A, Sections 2241-2233). The first type involves the use of force or threat such as death, injury or detention to coerce a person into sexual activity. The mo type includes rendering the victim unconscious through force or other means such as alcohol or drugs in order to engage into a sexual act (Title 18, Chapter 109A, Sections 2241-2233). The National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS) on the other hand clearly defined the temperament and limits of rape in their assessment of U.S. adult women from 1995-1996. There were five instances or conditions in their questionnaire which can be considered as an act of rape. The first is the use of force or threat to victim or persons close to the victim in order to have sex which involves putting a penis in the victims vagina. The second is the use of force or threat to vi ctim or persons close to the victim to have oral sex. The third is the use of force or threat to victim or persons close to the victim to have anal sex. The third is the use of force or threat to victim or persons close to the victim to put the offenders finger inside the victims vagina or anus. The last condition includes the above four acts but without actual penetration (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000).In the social or psychological science, rape is defined as forcing sexual activity on a person who objects or withholds consent or, in other words, sexual activity indigent of consent and against the persons will. This paper aims to assess the applicability of the narcissistic theory in the commission of rape and the psychology of rapists.Narcissistic TheoryThe narcissistic theory was presented by several psychologists including S. Freud, C. Lasch, O. Kernberg and H. Kohut to name a few. Narcissism was based from the name of a Greek mythology character called Narcissus who fell in love w ith his own reflection on the waters surface. Narcissism, simply put, is used to refer to self-love or self-admiration (John & Robins, 1994 Rhodewalt et al., 1998 Morf & Rhodewalt, 1993).Freuds adaptation of the term found healthy and pathologic applications of narcissism in his psychodynamic theories while Kohut defines it as a mental illness caused by a defective upbringing resulting to excessive love of oneself and disregard for other persons. Lasch