The role of alcohol in the sexually coercive situation: Are intoxicated women misperceived?
Abstract
Alcohol intoxication has frequently been mentioned as an important element in sexually coercive dating situations. The purposes of this study were to determine whether women who have been drinking are evaluated in more sexual terms than women who are sober; whether one's expectations about how drinkers behave influences the likelihood that one will ascribe sexual characteristics to the situation; and whether there are sex differences in the tendency to label events in a sexual way. The main experiment consisted of ratings by male and female subjects who viewed videotapes of heterosocial interactions in which the female stimulus had either been drinking or not drinking. Raters were instructed either that she had been drinking or were told nothing. Raters answered nine questions following each interaction; this assessed the sexual attributions that people make about women who have been drinking. Further, several weeks prior to the rating phase, Ss completed several questionnaires assessing drinking history, beliefs about the effects of alcohol on themselves and on the "typical female," attitudes toward women, rape-supportive attitudes, and experience with sexual coercion. Results are discussed in terms of the prevention of sexual coercion, and understanding male-female differences in social interaction.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Conger, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Psychotherapy|Womens studies|Social psychology
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