Gang Rape: A Psychological Perspective of Group Dynamics

There are many behaviors or actions in American society that are punishable by law.  The more serious of these are crimes of violence such as murder, forcible rape, robbery, and assault.  Even though rape is viewed by law as a violent act the stereotype still persists of the victim contributing to his or her own victimization.  This point brings to light the assumption by many that rape is "primarily a sexual act rather than a violent crime" (Conklin, 322).  Rape victims being seen as contributing to their victimization and rape viewed as a private sexual act may be two reasons why rape often goes unreported.  Another stereotype is that rape is overwhelmingly perpetrated by a stranger.  It is stated in Criminology, by John E. Conklin, on page 34, that rapes committed by total strangers to the victims range from 42 to 53 percent of total rapes.  The remainder of assailants are friends, associates, or relatives of the victim.  Rapes that occur between a victim and assailant who know one another are known as acquaintance rape.

Three forms of acquaintance rape that have received attention in recent years are date rape, marital rape, and gang rape on campus.  Gang rape stands out as both heinous and frightening.  Multiple sexual violations is enough to haunt anyone but, the ominous aspects of group dynamics that gang rape uncovers is even more sinister.  Through research I want to address several areas of this crime such as what individuals commit gang rape and how gang rape differs from rape by a single assailant.  From there I will discuss some policies that deal with acquaintance rape on college campuses.  It should be noted that gang rape is not always acquaintance rape.  However, it is stated in Acquaintance Rape: The Hidden Crime, by Parrot and Bechhofer, on page 140, that campus gang rape is usually acquaintance rape because it most often occurs during social get-togethers.