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A synthesized (biosocial) theory of rape
Abstract
Features of contemporary theories of rape are integrated with information on neurohormonal variables to formulate a synthesized theory of rape. It consists of four propositions: (a) Rape is motivated by two largely unlearned drives (a sex drive and a drive to possess and control). (b) Natural selection has favored men who more readily learn forced copulatory tactics than women and women who are more inclined than men to resist forced copulations. (c) The tendency to use forced copulatory tactics is largely a function of the strength of an individual's sex drive plus estimates of the probability of success minus the probability of being punished, divided by sensitivity to aversive stimuli. (d) Genes that have evolved primarily on the Y chromosome affect neurohormonal functioning in ways that alter the strength of the sex drive and sensitivity to aversive stimuli and thereby affect individual probabilities of committing rape.
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“a modern interpretation being that a combination of desire for sex and domination is at the motivational basis of sexual offending (Ellis, 1991).”
From A motivation model of sex addiction – Relevance to the controversy over the concept (2022) · cites this paper as Ellis, 1991
Citations
Cited by
The sociobiology of sociopathy: An integrated evolutionary model
Mealey, L. (1995) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x00039595 · Cited by 1,009
Pornography and Sexual Aggression: Are There Reliable Effects and Can We Understand Them?
Malamuth, N. M., Addison, T. L., & Koss, M. P. (2000) · Annual Review of Sex Research · doi:10.1080/10532528.2000.10559784 · Cited by 461
The evolutionary psychology of men's coercive sexuality
Thornhill, R., & Thornhill, N. W. (1992) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x00069120 · Cited by 303
Vega, V., & Malamuth, N. M. (2006) · Aggressive Behavior · doi:10.1002/ab.20172 · Cited by 228
Deconstructing The Myth Of The Nonaggressive Woman: A Feminist Analysis
White, J. W., & Kowalski, R. M. (1994) · Psychology of Women Quarterly · doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.1994.tb01045.x · Cited by 177
Metadata
- Authors
- Ellis, L.
- Affiliations
- Minot State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Ellis, Lee
- Venue
- Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
- Published
- 1991
- Volume
- 59
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 631-642
- ISSN
- 0022-006X (ISSN-L)
- 1939-2117
- OpenAlex
- W2020720754
- Cited by
- 159
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 21.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
- Keywords
- rape, sexual assault, biosocial theory, sexual desire, forced copulation, natural selection, Y chromosome genes, sex differences, aversive stimuli, evolutionary psychology
- MeSH terms
- Aggression, Animals, Brain, Copulation, Drive, Humans, Libido, Rape, Sexual Behavior, Gonadal Steroid Hormones
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How to cite
Cite CoChat for the checks on this page, and the paper for its own findings.
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- CoChat. (2026). Citation check: A synthesized (biosocial) theory of rape. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1037/0022-006x.59.5.631
- The paper
- Ellis, L. (1991). A synthesized (biosocial) theory of rape. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006x.59.5.631
Data sources
Bibliographic data: Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref.
Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).
Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.
