Pathways to Sexual Aggression

Most people who read an article in the newspaper about the brutal rape of a woman by a stranger, or the long-standing sexual abuse of a young boy by his step-father have a strong visceral reaction which is a mix of anger, fear, and incomprehension. Apart from these aversive reactions, several questions also come to people’s minds: Was this offender crazy or sexually obsessed? What is the purpose of such outrageous acts?

To answer these questions, the authors of this book review theoretical and empirical models of the processes that lead men to sexually assault children or women, whilst also presenting new results and models on this topic. In particular, this book focuses on empirical analyses of the pathways of six types of sexual aggressors, three of which (marital rapists, hebephilic sexual aggressors, and polymorphic sexual aggressors) have never been investigated before.

Drawing on a large dataset on the offending processes of sexual aggressors, this book analyzes the influence of personality factors and lifestyle factors on offending pathways and brings together key researchers in the field of sexual aggression. This book will be of interest to psychologists, psychiatrists, criminologists, and social workers involved in the study, assessment and treatment of sexual aggressors. In addition, this information will be crucial for practitioners involved in the follow-up of these offenders in the community, and will interest researchers and graduate students in the field of sexual aggression.

Jean Proulx is Director of the School of Criminology, University of Montreal.

Eric Beauregard is an Assistant Professor at the School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University and he is the co-director of the Centre for Research on Sexual Violence.

Patrick Lussier is an Associate Professor at the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University.

Benoit Leclerc is a criminologist in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith University.