Victims of Rape: The Importance of Reporting & Classifying a Rapist

As a victim of rape, you may very well understand the profound impact this traumatic even has upon not only your physical health but also upon your emotional and psychological health. For many rape victims, the trauma of the rape is compounded by the fear and anxiety associated with reporting the event to authorities.

Often, as a rape victim, women are further offended by the personal questions asked of investigators. Without a full understanding as to why the information is needed, women suffer further emotional trauma as they detail the event, describing the perpetrator and the circumstances involving the rape.

So why are there so many questions involved in a rape investigation? While most questions involve solving the crime and capturing the perpetrator, there are other reasons a wide spectrum of questions may be asked. Because rape perpetrators come in a variety of psychological states, the questions asked of a rape victim are often designed to make an effort to classify the type of rapist the authorities are looking for and what, if any, chances there may be of repeat offense.

As a general rule, rapists can be classified into one of four categories. While we commonly view the rapist as sadistic, using pain and fear to become sexually excited, there are actually other reasons a rapist may choose his victim and act out in a specific manner. While sadistic rapists are one classification, often engaged in careful and high level planning of their act, most of the victims are reported as strangers.

Unlike sadistic rapists, however, the perpetrator who committed the offense against you may have been classified in one of three other categories. An anger retaliation rapist is also considered a "high level" perpetrator, often using physical and sexual aggression and may have even used a weapon to commit the offense. In the sexual offense, you may have been exposed to degrading language in addition to the physical offense. In the simplest of terms, the anger retaliation rapists often is seeking power and has years of anger history and is using sex as a weapon against the victim.

As a lower level rapist, the power assertive personality is one in which your aggressor may have some issues with regard to his masculinity. To prove his own masculinity, he may use alcohol, drugs and act out spontaneously, often at a bar or club, to provoke a non-lethal sexual act. Usually, the power assertive rapist will not know you and may not cause any other bodily harm beyond that of the sexual act.

The "gentleman rapist", also known as the power reassurance rapist, is one who has most likely never established a personal relationship with anyone his own age. Because of his gross lack of personal and social skills, he will usually commit the sexual act in a more gentle fashion than the other rapist classifications, rarely using force or a weapon, unless the victim acts out or retaliates. Often, following the rape act, the power reassurance rapist may apologize for the act but then quickly disappear due to lack of social skills.

Because rape is a traumatic event, many women avoid reporting the event due to the overwhelming degree of questions asked during interrogations and reporting. However, if you are the victim of rape, it is important to report the offense, providing as much detail about how you met the perpetrator, the details of the attack itself, including any verbal and non-verbal events that took place. In doing so, you are helping the authorities classify your rapist and, ultimately, may lead to an arrest and conviction.