RAPIST TYPOLOGY

Groth A. N. (1979) Men Who Rape: The Psychology of the Offender. New York: Plenum Press, and the ideas therein were first published in Groth et. al. (1977). The first step in a rape investigation is to analyse the victim's statement: a determination whether the rapist would be categorized as "unselfish" or "selfish". The following table should illustrate these categories:

UNSELFISH:

SELFISH:

-Caring -Involved victim -Enjoyed -Concerned for self & -Own feelings sex -Acted like lover -Derogatory toward victim Complimentary -Apologetic -SelfHumiliated victim -No kissing derogatory -Cooperative -Used Biting fake weapon

The unselfish rapist will exhibit verbal, sexual, and physical behavior all in a way that indicates their "concern" for the victim. In many cases, however, the same behavior may be manifested in a "pseudo-unselfish" way which indicates that the concern for the victim's welfare is just part of a "con" to convince the woman to cooperate. Often, this type of rapist will say things like "Am I hurting you?" or "Are you cold?" during the rape. They are the type of rapist most likely to reveal unnecessary, and potentially revealing, information about themselves during the conversation. Typically, their language contains no profanity. Very often, the unselfish rapist demands that the victim kiss him "like you mean it". With the sex act, there's usually at least a finger used for foreplay, and in some cases, cunnilingus is performed on the victim. The victim will soon discover that she can get the offender to move around, or do whatever she wants him to. Many an unselfish rapist has been talked into leaving and coming back later (when the police are waiting). These types of rapists are also careless about their weapons. They usually put them down somewhere (often within easy reach of the victim) during the rape. Much of the time, the gun is unloaded or is a fake, anyway.

The selfish rapist does not desire the victim to become involved. This type of rapist is derogatory toward the victim, calling her "bitch" and "cunt" almost all the time. They will use the victim's body the same way one uses a prop, doll, or mannequin. Conversation will be consistently threatening and sexual in nature. The rapist may, for example, force the victim to describe what she's doing when being forced to give fellatio. Seldom will the selfish rapist be concerned for the victim's satisfaction, unless it pleases him. He may allow the victim to self-masturbate, but that's about all. More likely, the sequence of events will be an anal assault followed by fellatio. Should the victim complain of discomfort, the rapist will be undisturbed. Almost any spontaneous comment by the victim may be met by force.

the next step is to ascertain the motivation of the offender. Opportunistic rapist: date rape, spur of the moment

Power-Reassurance (Compensatory) non-aggressive behavior that normalizes an attack for an offender, restoring an offender's doubts about their desirability; Power-Assertive (Exploitative) aggressive but non-lethal behavior that shows no outward doubt of masculinity, restoring an offender's inner doubts and fears;

Anger-Retaliatory (Displaced) behavior, in which high levels physical and sexual aggression service feelings of cumulative rage; Anger-Excitation (Sadistic) behavior, where aggression is used to cause pain and suffering to service the offender's sexual gratification.

OPPORTUNISTIC rapist : Any method of attack Verbal threats for control of victim Immediate gratification (usually part of another offense) No paraphilic activity ( vaginal penetration) Minimal level of force Rape lasts a short period of time Context controls motivation : no preparation Poor impulse control Likely to be found: frequently leaves evidence on the scene

The POWER-REASSURANCE rapist is mostly likely "pseudo-unselfish". They will typically use a surprise "blitz" attack. They may exhibit "peeping Tom" behavior. They generally seek out victims in their own age range. They may revisit the victim's home after the rape. Sometimes they make follow-up contacts by telephone. They tend to take trophies or souvenirs from the victim. This type of rapist is fairly geographically stable. This person rapes again within 7-15 days (biological clock). This short time period is because the feeling of being (socially and sexually) adequate through rape wears off quickly.

The POWER-ASSERTIVE rapist has no conscious doubts about his masculinity, and is quite confident of his "con" approach. He selects victims his own age, and will often transport them to an assault location where he rips or tears their clothing off and discards it. He rapes when he feels he "needs" a woman, on about a 20-25 day cycle. He's usually very selfish, but can manifest a range of emotion, including concern for the victim's comfort if it appears she's relaxed. They like to leave their victims emotionally traumatized, often naked by the side of the road. They will typically have some sort of comfort zone, but can be geographically mobile, preferring to pick up hitchhikers or stranded motorists (strangers). Alcohol and/or drugs are usually taken prior to the act. The sex act often involves bondage. This type of offender likes to keep things "foolproof". They won't take trophies or souvenirs, but they may have hidden recording or videotaping devices. They like to make their victims totally submissive from the start, so they may begin with an anal assault, with their preference being oral sex. He will use a great deal of profanity, demeaning and humiliating the victim, forcing the victim into cooperating with various sex acts; "Shut up or I'll kill you". There's usually no fondling, kissing, or foreplay. It is not this rapist's desire to harm the victim, only to possess her sexually.

The ANGER-RETALIATION rapist is getting even with women for real or imaginary wrongs. They are angry with women and are using sex as a weapon to punish them. The crime itself is usually not premeditated, and a "blitz" attack is often used. The actual sexual assault will take little time, and the whole encounter may be very short. Once the pent-up anger is vented, the rapist quickly leaves. This type of rapist tends to attack women who are somewhat older than he is, often somebody who symbolizes somebody else. They like to rip or tear the clothing off, and will often use their fists, hitting the victim in the stomach usually. After such an attack, the offender feels a great deal of relief, until his tension and anger against women as the source of all his problems builds up again. The biological clock on a rapist such as this is 6 months to a year.

The ANGER-EXCITATION, or more commonly SADISTIC rapist is sexually stimulated by the victim's pain and suffering. The primary motivation is to inflict pain that brings about the desired fear response. The attack is vicious, but the rapist has methodically planned and executed this kind of behavior before. He therefore feels comfortable enough to be opportunistic in his selection of victims. Victims are usually strangers who may or may not fit his idea of what a "nice" victim would be, but they may be older and of a different race. Needless to say, he is sexually and verbally selfish and typically uses brutal force as well as very angry, hostile language instead of profanity. Victims who have survived have reported extreme mood swings during the encounter, at times, bordering upon being downright complimentary. There's never any attempt at foreplay, except for some occasional, strange licking, but more commonly bites. They typically use bondage, and while bound, the victim's clothes will be cut off with a knife. He takes the victim to a preselected location, keeping her there for hours to days, during that time torturing her with instruments or devices, reducing her to depths of fear difficult to imagine (on his level). He is attuned to the visual and auditory features of the encounter, and is extremely likely to have recording devices. This particular type of rapist will probably have a "secret" life as a married, educated, white collar, fine, upstanding member of the community. They may also be the type with a prison background, seeking revenge on society as a whole. Drugs and/or alcohol are usually present in the situation. It's hard to predict the biological clock for this type of offender, 30 days usually, but whenever he gets "pissed off".