The Psychological Adjustment of the Rape Victim
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT OF THE RAPE VICTIM
Date: 10/05/2012
Author: South Eastern CASA
Website Address: http://www.secasa.com.au/sections/for-students/the-psychological-adjustment-of-the-rape-victim/#top
[pic]This article is written for women and assumes a male offender, however SECASA acknowledges that both men and women can be survivors of sexual abuse and that offenders can be male and female.
Delivered at the Psychiatry, Psychology and the Law Congress, Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, November, 1980
Lesley Hewitt, Social Worker, Sexual Assault Clinic, Queen Victoria Medical Centre, MELBOURNE.
Reproduced here with the Authors kind permission.
No part of this article may be reproduced in any way without the express permission of the author.
Note to readers; Although this article is over 20 years old, it contains information that some may find relevant which is why we have included it.
Introduction
Sexual assault is an act of violence that is by definition against the victim's will. The victim is forced to submit to genital, oral and/or anal sexual acts and often to other aggression, abuse and degradation. The attacker controls the situation by the use of physical force, threats of harm and intimidation. The victim fears she is going to be killed or injured. In our experience most victims have perceived that their survival is dependent on compliance and submission to the offender's demands.
Sexual assault is an arbitrary event in the victim's lifestyle. It is sudden, unexpected and unpredictable. She is faced with a life threatening situation that she is unable to effectively resolve. Her usual methods of coping with threats and conducting interpersonal relationships fail her. It is a violation of her physical self and her basic beliefs and assumptions about her environment, about other people and relationships and about herself.
As a result women may experience severe psychological effects. The way the victim copes with the trauma of
Date: 10/05/2012
Author: South Eastern CASA
Website Address: http://www.secasa.com.au/sections/for-students/the-psychological-adjustment-of-the-rape-victim/#top
[pic]This article is written for women and assumes a male offender, however SECASA acknowledges that both men and women can be survivors of sexual abuse and that offenders can be male and female.
Delivered at the Psychiatry, Psychology and the Law Congress, Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, November, 1980
Lesley Hewitt, Social Worker, Sexual Assault Clinic, Queen Victoria Medical Centre, MELBOURNE.
Reproduced here with the Authors kind permission.
No part of this article may be reproduced in any way without the express permission of the author.
Note to readers; Although this article is over 20 years old, it contains information that some may find relevant which is why we have included it.
Introduction
Sexual assault is an act of violence that is by definition against the victim's will. The victim is forced to submit to genital, oral and/or anal sexual acts and often to other aggression, abuse and degradation. The attacker controls the situation by the use of physical force, threats of harm and intimidation. The victim fears she is going to be killed or injured. In our experience most victims have perceived that their survival is dependent on compliance and submission to the offender's demands.
Sexual assault is an arbitrary event in the victim's lifestyle. It is sudden, unexpected and unpredictable. She is faced with a life threatening situation that she is unable to effectively resolve. Her usual methods of coping with threats and conducting interpersonal relationships fail her. It is a violation of her physical self and her basic beliefs and assumptions about her environment, about other people and relationships and about herself.
As a result women may experience severe psychological effects. The way the victim copes with the trauma of