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- Title
Dealing with the Threat of Rape: Reactance or Learned Helplessness?
- Authors
Heath, Linda; Davidson, Lynn
- Abstract
The effects of perceived controllability of rape victimization among potential rape victims were investigated in three studies. In a true experiment, perceived controllability of rape was manipulated through a pamphlet rating paradigm (N = 60). Women who saw materials that presented rape as an uncontrollable event reported greater anxiety on the street (p <.001) and in their homes (p <.05), and greater intention to engage in precautionary behaviors (p <.001) than women who read materials that presented rape as somewhat more controllable. In a quasi-experiment, women (N = 58) were classified as viewing rape as controllable or uncontrollable based on their descriptions of the "typical rape." Women who viewed rape as an uncontrollable event reported higher risk of rape (p <.05) and unlike respondents in Study 1, reported less use of precautionary behaviors on the street (p <.05) than women who viewed rape as a somewhat controllable event. In Study 3, women (N = 40) were classified as perceiving high or low controllability based on pre-test responses. As in Study 2, women who reported lower control perceptions also reported more fear and less precautionary behavior. As predicted, the high control women reported significantly higher levels of fear after being exposed to the low control message used in Study 1. These women, however, did not increase their intended self-protective behavior. These results are discussed in terms of reactance and learned helplessness.
- Subjects
PERCEPTUAL control theory; CRIMES against women; SEX crimes; VIOLENCE against women; HUMAN behavior; ATTITUDE (Psychology); DANGER perception; SENSORY perception; THOUGHT &; thinking
- Publication
Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 1988, Vol 18, Issue 15, p1334
- ISSN
0021-9029
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1559-1816.1988.tb01210.x