Unit 1: Sex Behaviours, Crimes and Theories of Sexual Deviance Flashcards
(121 cards)
1
Q
Why are sex crimes of high interest in American society?
A
Because they involve scandal and deviance, which attract media coverage and public fascination.
2
Q
What types of sexual acts are covered under sex crimes?
A
Acts with willing partners, solitary acts, and acts against unwilling victims—some causing minor harm, others death.
3
Q
What did serial killer Ted Bundy’s interview reveal about his mindset?
A
He linked sexual pleasure with fatal violence, demonstrating extreme deviance and lack of remorse.
4
Q
Why do media outlets focus on sex crimes?
A
Because scandals involving sex increase ratings, sell newspapers, and boost magazine sales.
5
Q
Why are courses on sex offenders and violent crimes popular in universities?
A
Due to the compelling and explicit nature of sexually deviant crimes, which fascinate students.
6
Q
What is the danger of glorifying sexually deviant offenders?
A
It risks normalizing or sensationalizing despicable acts instead of condemning them.
7
Q
What impact did Rep. Mark Foley’s scandal have?
A
It led to his resignation and reportedly contributed to the Republican party losing control of Congress.
8
Q
What are folkways in sociological terms?
A
Folkways are habitual norms or customs that guide everyday behaviour without serious consequences if violated.
9
Q
What are mores in sociological terms?
A
Mores are serious norms whose violation threatens societal order and are often enforced by law.
10
Q
What societal mechanisms define and regulate sexual behavior?
A
Rules, regulations, laws, and cultural standards like folkways and mores.
11
Q
What are the four elements of sexual behavior?
A
Fantasy, symbolism, ritualism, and compulsion.
12
Q
What is the difference between folkways and mores?
A
Folkways are social norms for routine interactions; mores are strict norms whose violations threaten societal survival.
13
Q
What are the classifications of sex offenders?
A
Sexual Predator, Habitual Sex Offender, and Sexually Oriented Offender.
14
Q
How does the media influence interest in sex crimes?
A
Media sensationalizes sex crimes to boost ratings and sales.
15
Q
What are the four sexual standards for determining normalcy?
A
Statistical, cultural, religious, and subjective standards.
16
Q
What is vampirism in sexual terms?
A
Sexual gratification from drinking blood.
17
Q
What is the difference between fetishism and partialism?
A
Fetishism is arousal from objects; partialism is arousal from body parts.
18
Q
How does ritualism manifest in sex offenders?
A
They perform acts in rigid sequences or scripts; deviations disrupt the act.
19
Q
What is the cultural standard of normalcy?
A
Behaviors are normal if they conform to societal norms and laws.
20
Q
How is homosexuality viewed historically and legally?
A
Historically stigmatized; legally decriminalized in 2003 (US Supreme Court ruling).
21
Q
What is a Sexual Predator?
A
A person convicted of sexually oriented offenses who is likely to commit additional offenses.
22
Q
What is a Habitual Sex Offender?
A
Someone determined by the court to have been previously convicted of one or more sexually oriented offenses.
23
Q
What is a Sexually Oriented Offender?
A
A person who has been convicted of committing a sexually oriented offense.
24
Q
What are folkways?
A
Normal, habitual ways of behaving; often simple manners or customs like politeness.
25
What are examples of folkways?
Allowing one gender to exit first, walking beside the curb, turning off phones in class.
26
What role do social institutions play in teaching folkways?
Parents, teachers, and schools inculcate values like politeness, order, and cooperation.
27
What are mores?
Behaviors whose violation would result in societal destruction; carry serious consequences.
28
How do mores differ from folkways?
Mores are vital for societal survival and often enforced by law; folkways are less serious norms.
29
How does society treat the act of killing based on mores?
Murder is prohibited and punished harshly; exceptions include war or self-defense.
30
How does social context influence the perception of sexual intercourse?
It can be viewed positively in marriage, but as criminal when involving coercion or rape.
31
Why is the concept of 'normal sex' considered complex?
Because what is normal varies by individual, age, culture, and context.
32
What social factor determines whether a sex act is deviant?
The norms and standards applied by society.
33
How did one interviewee's sexual behaviour evolve over time?
He went from being a virgin to having affairs, then later engaged in homosexual relationships.
34
What is vampirism in sexual terms?
Sexual gratification from drinking blood.
35
What is crurofact?
A fetish involving sexual arousal from legs.
36
How have attitudes toward homosexuality changed?
Homosexuality is increasingly accepted, but still viewed as deviant by some due to religious or moral beliefs.
37
What is homosexuality?
A sexual orientation involving attraction and gratification with members of the same sex.
38
What did Kinsey's studies report about homosexual experiences?
37% of white males and 13-17% of white females had at least one homosexual experience to the point of orgasm.
39
What movement increased the visibility of the homosexual community?
The gay liberation movement, starting with the Stonewall Inn Riot in 1969.
40
What is a common misconception about AIDS and homosexuality?
That AIDS is spread only by gay men, when in fact it can affect all sexual orientations.
41
What was the significance of Kinsey’s volumes in 1948 and 1953?
They documented male and female homosexuality, sparking public awareness and controversy.
42
What major event in 1969 marked a turning point in gay rights?
The Stonewall Inn Riot in New York City.
43
What happened in 2003 regarding sodomy laws?
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that sodomy laws are unconstitutional.
44
What is a 'tea room' in the context of homosexual behavior?
Public rooms used for impersonal sex.
45
What is lesbianism?
Female homosexuality.
46
What does sodomy legally refer to?
Sexual penetration of any orifice other than the vagina.
47
What is a Secret Homosexual?
A person who hides their orientation from others and possibly themselves.
48
What is a Blatant Homosexual?
A person who makes no attempt to hide their sexual orientation.
49
What is an Adjusted Homosexual?
Someone who accepts their homosexuality without distress and does not flaunt it.
50
What is an Institutional Homosexual?
Someone who engages in homosexual acts due to circumstances like prison, but reverts to heterosexuality when free.
51
What is a Homosexual Prostitute?
A male, often aged 15-17, who sells sex to other males, typically from low socioeconomic backgrounds.
52
What is a Homosexual Pedophile?
A homosexual who desires sex only with same-sex children.
53
What are the four standards used to determine sexual normalcy?
Statistical, Cultural, Religious, and Subjective.
54
What is the statistical standard?
Normalcy is determined by what more than 50% of the population practices.
55
Why can the statistical standard be dangerous?
It can define lawbreaking or harmful behavior as 'normal' based on prevalence.
56
What does the cultural standard rely on?
Rules, regulations, and social structures that define appropriate behavior.
57
What is the religious standard based on?
Religious doctrines and beliefs that categorize behavior as sinful or acceptable.
58
What is the subjective standard?
A personal rationale that legitimizes behavior based on individual perception.
59
Why is the subjective standard considered the most important?
Because it defines behavior as normal or acceptable based on personal justification.
60
What are the four elements of sexual behavior?
Fantasy, Symbolism, Ritualism, and Compulsion.
61
Why is fantasy considered essential to sexual behavior?
It provides mental stimulation and meaning to sexual activity, even in autoeroticism.
62
What does symbolism in sexual behavior involve?
Use of fetishes or partialisms where objects or body parts become sexually significant.
63
What is ritualism in sexual behavior?
A fixed sequence of actions that must be followed during sexual activity.
64
What is compulsion in sexual behavior?
An uncontrollable drive or urge that compels a person to act out sexually.
65
What does the presence of decapitated heads in a killer's freezer symbolize in forensic psychology?
A manifestation of deep-seated violent sexual fantasies and compulsive ritualistic behavior.
66
What is a fetish in the context of sexual symbolism?
An inanimate object to which one has attached sexual feelings.
67
What is a partialism?
A sexual fixation on an isolated part of the body, such as legs, feet, or buttocks.
68
Define Albutophilia.
Sexual arousal from water.
69
Define Altocalciphilia.
Sexual attraction to high-heeled shoes.
70
Define Alvinolagnia.
A sexual partialism focused on the stomach.
71
How is ritualism significant in sexual offending?
Offenders follow strict, repetitive behaviors or scripts during sexual acts, often rooted in early exposure to violent pornography or trauma.
72
What does it mean if a sexual act must follow a specific script?
This indicates ritualism; deviation may result in the offender abandoning or restarting the act.
73
What is compulsion in the context of sexual offending?
An overpowering internal drive that impels individuals to commit sexual offenses, often repeatedly and with escalating violence.
74
What did Ted Bundy say about his compulsions?
He described them as uncontrollable and essential to satisfy, leading to his brutal crimes like the Chi Omega attacks.
75
Define Acrotomophilia.
Sexual preference for amputees.
76
Define Apotemnophilia.
Sexual fantasies about losing a limb.
77
What are the four elements of sexual behavior?
Fantasy, symbolism, ritualism, and compulsion.
78
What indicates perverse sexual functioning based on the four elements?
Sexual activity only with a certain fetish/partialism, overwhelming compulsion with no emotional connection, need to follow strict scripts, and fantasies involving dehumanization or violence.
79
Why do people seek to legitimize their sexual urges and lifestyles?
To make their behaviors palatable and desirable through various societal standards.
80
What are some reasons people may be celibate or lack sexual partnerships?
Celibacy by choice, mental or physical conditions, personality afflictions, or lack of desire.
81
How do the elements of sexual behavior provide a framework?
They shape personal behavior and serve as a method for legitimizing individual sexual expression.
82
How does Marshall (1996) view sexual offenders?
As more similar to others than different; neither monsters nor victims.
83
What is the implication of treating offenders as monsters?
It promotes punitive approaches that ignore their dignity and hinder effective treatment.
84
What does Marshall suggest is crucial in therapy for sexual offenders?
Enhancing self-esteem and using a positive, respectful therapeutic style.
85
What is a major finding about self-esteem in treatment outcomes?
Enhancing self-esteem correlates with reduced deviance and improved empathy and intimacy.
86
What therapeutic style does Marshall advocate for?
A respectful, empathic, and challenging style that promotes hope and change.
87
Why is focusing on process, not just procedure, important in therapy?
It addresses client needs more holistically and fosters genuine behavioral change.
88
What are process variables according to Frank (1961)?
Client confidence, expectations of benefit, optimistic rationale, and active participation.
89
How can self-esteem influence therapy success?
Higher self-esteem increases self-efficacy, effort, resilience, and reduces negative affect.
90
What does Marshall say about offenders who have been abused?
They must take responsibility for their actions despite past victimization.
91
Why does Marshall reject the 'monster or victim' label for offenders?
Because these labels oversimplify individuals who have both prosocial and harmful traits.
92
What proportion of sexual assaults are reported to police according to the 2004 GSS?
About 1 in 10 incidents.
93
What is the most common form of sexual assault in Canada?
Unwanted sexual touching, accounting for 81% of self-reported incidents.
94
Which demographic has the highest sexual victimization rates?
Youth aged 15 to 24 and females.
95
Why do many victims not report sexual assault to police?
They feel it was not important enough, a personal matter, or dealt with in another way.
96
How do conviction rates for sexual offences compare to other violent crimes?
They are lower, but those convicted of sexual offences receive harsher sentences.
97
Where do most sexual assaults occur?
In or around a residence or a commercial establishment, depending on the type.
98
What is the most common emotional response to sexual victimization?
Anger, followed by confusion and frustration.
99
Who are most sexual assault offenders?
Males, often known to the victim, such as acquaintances or family members.
100
How does victimization affect victims' sense of safety?
Victims often feel less safe and more likely to adopt precautionary behaviours.
101
What legislative change occurred in 1983 regarding sexual offences?
Rape and indecent assault were replaced with three levels of sexual assault offences.
102
What is a key issue in understanding sexual deviance?
There is no single cause; deviant sexual behavior can have varied and complex motivations.
103
Why is public registration of sex offenders controversial?
It protects the public but limits offenders' opportunities for reintegration and subjects them to harassment.
104
What does the psychological model emphasize in explaining deviance?
Personality traits, learned behaviours, and mental processes linking the individual to their environment.
105
What does the FBI profiling method help determine?
It classifies offenders into organized or disorganized types and predicts future criminal patterns.
106
What are the three components of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory?
Id (instincts), Ego (reality), Superego (morality).
107
How does the psychiatric model treat sexual deviance?
By uncovering unconscious motivations through psychoanalysis or appealing to the superego with therapy.
108
How does the social learning model explain deviance?
Through observational learning, reinforcement, and modelling, particularly from peers and media.
109
What is the acquisition phase in social learning?
When individuals passively learn behaviour by observing others without acting on it.
110
What is the instigation phase in social learning?
When external triggers or unmet desires push individuals to act on learned behaviour.
111
What are maintaining mechanisms in social learning?
They reinforce behaviours by showing that similar actions by others yield desired outcomes.
112
What does the constitutional model suggest about deviance?
That genetic inheritance influences the likelihood of engaging in deviant sexual or criminal acts.
113
What did twin studies reveal about crime?
Identical twins raised apart are more likely to share criminal tendencies than fraternal twins.
114
What is somatotyping?
A theory that links body types (endomorph, ectomorph, mesomorph) to temperament and criminality.
115
Which body type is most associated with criminal behaviour in Sheldon's theory?
Mesomorph – muscular and aggressive, prone to risk-taking behaviour.
116
What does sociobiology emphasize?
The interaction between biology and environment in shaping deviant behaviour.
117
What are key propositions of sociobiology?
Humans are not born equal; genetic and environmental factors determine learning and behaviour.
118
How are chemical imbalances linked to deviance?
Lack of nutrients and hormonal fluctuations may lead to aggressive or abnormal sexual behaviour.
119
What hormone is linked to aggression in males?
Testosterone – higher levels correlate with increased violence and criminality.
120
How did female hormone studies relate to crime?
Some studies found that crimes were more likely to be committed during premenstrual periods.
121
What is the main takeaway from these models of deviance?
No model fully explains deviance; it likely results from multiple, interacting factors.
