SpringerLink
Log in

Evolutionary Psychology and Rape Avoidance

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Sexual Psychology and Behavior

Part of the book series: Evolutionary Psychology ((EVOLPSYCH))

Abstract

Females of many species have recurrently faced the adaptive problem of rape. In humans, rape of women by men has occurred throughout history and across cultures. The costs associated with rape are severe, including psychological, physical, and reproductive costs. Thus, it is likely that women therefore may have evolved psychological mechanisms that motivate rape avoidance behaviors or cognitions that may diminish the likelihood of a rape occurring. Here I provide an overview of theoretical and research literature addressing women’s rape avoidance psychology and behavior from an evolutionary perspective.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free ship** worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free ship** worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baron, L. (1985). Does rape contribute to reproductive success? Evaluations of sociobiological views of rape. International Journal of Women’s Studies, 8, 266–277.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bergen, R. K., & Bukovec, P. (2006). Men and intimate partner rape: Characteristics of men who sexually abuse their partner. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21, 1375–1384.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brecklin, L. R., & Ullman, S. E. (2001). The role of offender alcohol use in rape attacks. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 16, 3–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bröder, A., & Hohmann, N. (2003). Variations in risk-taking behavior over the menstrual cycle: An improved replication. Evolution and Human Behavior, 24, 391–398.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Broude, G. J., & Greene, S. J. (1978). Cross-cultural codes on 20 sexual attitudes and practices. Ethnology, 15, 409–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brownmiller, S. (1975). Against our will: Men, women, and rape. New York: Simon and Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buss, D. M. (1989). Sex differences in human mate preferences: Evolutionary hypotheses tested in 37 cultures. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 12, 1–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buss, D. M. (1994a). The strategies of human mating. American Scientist, 82, 238–249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buss, D. M. (1994b). The evolution of desire: Strategies of human mating. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buss, D. M. (2004). Evolutionary psychology: The new science of the mind (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buss, D. M., & Craik, K. H. (1983). The act frequency approach to personality. Psychological Review, 90, 105–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buss, D. M., & Schmitt, D. P. (1993). Sexual Strategies Theory: An evolutionary perspective on human mating. Psychological Review, 100, 204–232.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chavanne, T. J., & Gallup, G. G. (1998). Variation in risk taking behavior among female college students as a function of the menstrual cycle. Evolution and Human Behavior, 19, 27–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clutton-Brock, T. H., & Parker, G. A. (1995). Sexual coercion in animal societies. Animal Behaviour, 49, 1345–1365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Confer, J. C., Easton, J. A., Fleischman, D. S., Goetz, C. D., Lewis, D. M. G., Perilloux, C., et al. (2010). Evolutionary psychology: Controversies, questions, prospects, and limitations. American Psychologist, 65, 110–126.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, J. A., & Gallup, G. G., Jr. (2006). Preeclampsia and other pregnancy complications as an adaptive response to unfamiliar semen. In S. M. Platek & T. K. Shackelford (Eds.), Female infidelity and paternal uncertainty (pp. 191–204). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dean, K. E., & Malamuth, N. M. (1997). Characteristics of men who aggress sexually and men who imagine aggressing: Risk and moderating variables. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 449–455.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dunn, D. W., Crean, C. S., & Gilburn, A. S. (2002). The effects of exposure to seaweed on willingness to mate, oviposition, and longevity in seaweed flies. Ecological Entomology, 27, 554–564.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, L. (1989). Theories of rape: Inquiries into the causes of sexual aggression. New York: Hemisphere Publishing Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Felson, R., & Krohn, M. (1990). Motives for rape. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 27, 222–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Figueredo, A. J., Corral-Verdugo, V., Frias-Armenta, M., Bachar, K. J., White, J., McNeill, P. L., et al. (2001). Blood, solidarity, status, and honor: The sexual balance of power and spousal abuse in Sonora, Mexico. Evolution and Human Behavior, 22, 293–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garver-Apgar, C. E., Gangestad, S. W., & Simpson, J. A. (2007). Women’s perceptions of men’s sexual coerciveness change across the menstrual cycle. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 39, 536–540.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghiglieri, M. P. (2000). The dark side of man. New York: Perseus Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gowaty, P. A., & Buschhaus, N. (1998). Ultimate causation of aggressive and forced copulation in birds: Female resistance, the CODE hypothesis, and social monogamy. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 38, 207–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenfield, L. (1997). Sex offenses and offenders. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, US Department of Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, W. D. (1964). The genetical evolution of social behavior. I and II. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 7, 1–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haselton, M. G., Nettle, D., & Andrews, P. W. (2005). The evolution of cognitive bias. In D. M. Buss (Ed.), The handbook of evolutionary psychology (pp. 724–746). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Judson, O. (2002). Dr. Tatiana’s sex advice to all creation. New York: Henry Holt & Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kilpatrick, D., Edmunds, C., & Seymour, A. (1992). Rape in America. Arlington, VA: National Victim Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • LalumiĂ©re, M. L., & Quinsey, V. L. (1996). Sexual deviance, antisociality, mating effort, and the use of sexually coercive behaviors. Personality and Individual Differences, 21, 33–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linder, J. E., & Rice, W. R. (2005). Natural selection and genetic variation for female resistance to harm from males. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 18, 568–575.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Magurran, A. E. (2001). Sexual conflict and evolution in Trinidadian guppies. Genetica, 112–113, 463–474.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maynard Smith, J. (1997). Commentary. In P. Gowaty (Ed.), Feminism and evolutionary biology (p. 522). New York: Chapman & Hall.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, M. M., Asher, B. D., Kerr, N. L., & Navarrete, C. D. (2011). Fertility and intergroup bias in racial and minimal-group contexts: Evidence for shared architecture. Psychological Science, 22, 860–865.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McKibbin, W. F., Shackelford, T. K., Goetz, A. T., & Starratt, V. G. (2008). Why do men rape? An evolutionary psychological perspective. Review of General Psychology, 12, 86–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKibbin, W. F., Shackelford, T. K., Goetz, A. T., Bates, V. M., Starratt, V. G., & Miner, E. J. (2009). Development and initial psychometric assessment of the Rape Avoidance Inventory. Personality and Individual Differences, 39, 336–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKibbin, W. F., Shackelford, T. K., Miner, E. J., Bates, V. M., & Liddle, J. R. (2011). Individual differences in women’s rape avoidance behaviors. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40, 343–349.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McKinney, F., Derrickson, S. R., & Mineau, P. (1983). Forced copulation in waterfowl. Behavior, 86, 250–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitani, J. C. (1985). Mating behavior of male orangutans in the Kutai Reserve. Animal Behaviour, 33, 392–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morris, N. M., & Udry, J. R. (1970). Variations in pedometer activity during the menstrual cycle. Sensory Processing, 2, 90–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morris, N. M., & Udry, J. R. (1982). Epidemiological patterns of sexual behavior in the menstrual cycle. In R. C. Friedman (Ed.), Behavior and the menstrual cycle (pp. 129–153). New York: Marcel Dekker.

    Google Scholar 

  • Navarrette, C. D., Fessler, D. M. T., Fleischman, D. S., & Geyer, J. (2009). Race bias tracks conception risk across the menstrual cycle. Psychological Science, 20, 661–665.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olsson, M. (1995). Forced copulation and costly female resistance behavior in the lake eyre dragon, Ctenophorus maculosus. Herpetologica, 51, 19–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, C. T., & Thornhill, R. (2003a). Straw men and fairy tales: Evaluating reactions to A natural history of rape. The Journal of Sex Research, 40, 249–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, C. T., & Thornhill, R. (2003b). A posse of good citizens bring outlaw evolutionists to justice. A response to Evolution, gender, and rape. Edited by Cheryl Brown Travis. (2003). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Evolutionary Psychology, 1, 10–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perilloux, C., Duntley, J. D., & Buss, D. M. (2012). The costs of rape. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41, 1099–1106.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Perilloux, C., Fleischman, D. S., & Buss, D. M. (2008). The daughter-guarding hypothesis: Parental influence on, and emotional reactions to, offspring’s mating behavior. Evolutionary Psychology, 6, 217–233.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perkins, C., & Klaus, P. (1996). Criminal victimization 1994. National crime victimization survey. Bulletin. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perkins, C., Klaus, P., Bastian, L., & Cohen, R. (1996). Criminal victimization in the United States, 1993. National crime victimization survey report. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petralia, S. M., & Gallup, G. G. (2002). Effects of a sexual assault scenario on handgrip strength across the menstrual cycle. Evolution and Human Behavior, 23, 3–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pizzari, T., & Birkhead, T. R. (2000). Female feral fowl eject sperm of subdominant males. Nature, 405, 787–789.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Plath, M., Parzefall, J., & Schlupp, I. (2003). The role of sexual harassment in cave and surface dwelling populations of the Atlantic molly, Poecilia mexicana (Poeciliidae, Teleostei). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 54, 303–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Resnick, H. S., Kilpatrick, D. G., Dansky, B. S., Saunders, B. E., & Best, C. L. (1993). Prevalence of civilian trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder in a representative national sample of women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 984–991.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reyer, H.-U., Frei, G., & Som, C. (1999). Cryptic female choice: frogs reduce clutch size when amplexed by undesired males. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 266, 2101.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Robbins, M. M. (1999). Male mating patterns in wild multimale mountain gorilla groups. Animal Behaviour, 57, 1013–1020.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • RozĂ©e, P. D. (1993). Forbidden or forgiven? Rape in cross-cultural perspective. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 17, 499–514.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanday, P. R. (1981). The socio-cultural context of rape: A cross-cultural study. Journal of Social Issues, 37, 5–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheppele, K. L., & Bart, P. B. (1983). Through women’s eyes: Defining danger in the wake of sexual assault. Journal of Social Issues, 39, 63–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shackelford, T. K. (2002a). Are young women the special targets of rape-murder? Aggressive Behavior, 28, 224–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shackelford, T. K. (2002b). Risk of multiple-offender rape-murder varies with female age. Journal of Criminal Justice, 30, 135–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shine, R., Langkilde, T., & Mason, R. T. (2003). Cryptic forcible insemination: Male snakes exploit female physiology, anatomy, and behavior to obtain coercive matings. American Naturalist, 162, 653–667.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smuts, B. B. (1992). Male aggression against women. Human Nature, 6, 1–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smuts, B. B., & Smuts, R. W. (1993). Male aggression and sexual coercion of females in nonhuman primates and other mammals: Evidence and theoretical implications. Advances in the Study of Behavior, 22, 1–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Symons, D. (1979). The evolution of human sexuality. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sztatecsny, M., Jehle, R., Burke, T., & Hödl, W. (2006). Female polyandry under male harassment: The case of the common toad (Bufo bufo). Journal of Zoology, 270, 517.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang-Martinez, Z. (1997). The curious courtship of sociobiology and feminism: A case of irreconcilable differences. In P. Gowaty (Ed.), Feminism and evolutionary biology (pp. 116–150). New York: Chapman & Hall.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Thornhill, R. (1980). Rape in Panorpa scorpionflies and a general rape hypothesis. Animal Behavior, 28, 52–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornhill, R. (1981). Panorpa (Mecoptera: Panorpidae) scorpionflies: Systems for understanding resource-defense polygyny and alternative male reproductive efforts. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 12, 355–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornhill, R. (1987). The relative importance of intra- and interspecific competition in scorpionfly mating systems. American Naturalist, 130, 711–729.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornhill, N. (1996). Psychological adaptation to sexual coercion in victims and offenders. In D. M. Buss & N. Malamuth (Eds.), Sex, power, conflict (pp. 90–104). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thornhill, R., & Palmer, C. P. (2000). A natural history of rape. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thornhill, R., & Sauer, K. (1991). The notal organ of the scorpionfly (Panorpa vulgaris): An adaptation to coerce mating duration. Behavioral Ecology, 2, 156–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornhill, R., & Thornhill, N. (1983). Human rape: An evolutionary analysis. Ethology and Sociobiology, 4, 137–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornhill, N., & Thornhill, R. (1990a). Evolutionary analysis of psychological pain of rape victims I: The effects of victim’s age and marital status. Ethology and Sociobiology, 11, 155–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornhill, N., & Thornhill, R. (1990b). Evolutionary analysis of psychological pain following rape II: The effects of stranger, friend, and family member offenders. Ethology and Sociobiology, 11, 177–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornhill, N., & Thornhill, R. (1990c). Evolutionary analysis of psychological pain following rape victims III: The effects of force and violence. Aggressive Behavior, 16, 297–320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornhill, N., & Thornhill, R. (1991). An evolutionary analysis of psychological pain following rape IV: The effect of the nature of the sexual act. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 105, 243–252.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thornhill, R., & Thornhill, N. (1992). The evolutionary psychology of men’s coercive sexuality. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 15, 363–375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trivers, R. L. (1972). Parental investment and sexual selection. In B. Campbell (Ed.), Sexual selection and the descent of man: 1871–1971 (pp. 136–179). Chicago: Aldine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vahed, K. (2002). Coercive copulation in the Alpine Bushcricket Anonconotus alpinus Yersin (Tettigoniidae: Tettigoniinae: Platycleidini). Ethology, 108, 1065–1075.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, M., Daly, M., & Scheib, J. (1997). Femicide: an evolutionary psychological perspective. In P. A. Gowaty (Ed.), Feminism and evolutionary biology: Boundaries, intersections, and frontiers (pp. 431–465). New York: Chapman & Hall.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, M., & Mesnick, S. L. (1997). An empirical test of the bodyguard hypothesis. In P. A. Gowaty (Ed.), Feminism and evolutionary biology (pp. 505–511). New York: Chapman & Hall.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wrangham, R., & Peterson, D. (1996). Demonic males. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Michigan-Flint, 411 MSB, 303 E. Kearsley Street, Flint, MI, 48502-1950, USA

    William F. McKibbin

Authors
  1. William F. McKibbin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to William F. McKibbin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

McKibbin, W.F. (2014). Evolutionary Psychology and Rape Avoidance. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Sexual Psychology and Behavior. Evolutionary Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0314-6_11

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation