Rape supportive cognition, sexual fantasies and implicit offence scripts: A comparison between high and low rape prone men

It is widely accepted that sexual fantasy can play a role in the aetiology of rape, and it has often been shown that dominant fantasies correlate positively with rape supportive attitudes in men with a proclivity to rape. Furthermore, it has been suggested that frequent use of deviant fantasy can lead to the creation of an implicit-offence script that, if acted out, would constitute a sexual offence. Thus, the aim of the present study was to provide support for the hypotheses that: (1) high rape prone men would report more rape supportive attitudes and dominant fantasies in contrast to men with a low rape proclivity; (2) dominant fantasies are influenced by rape supportive attitudes; and (3) high rape prone men will show more evidence of harbouring implicit-offence scripts. The results supported the first two hypotheses but not the third. Various explanations are offered for these results alongside a discussion of the potential limitations of the study and future research suggestions.