Address for correspondence: Neil Malamuth, Communication Studies, 334 Kinsey Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1538. Voice: 310-206-8868; fax:310-206-8901.
nmalamut{at}ucla.edu
Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 989: 33-58 (2003).
In contrast to widely held beliefs, I suggest that research
conducted with either criminal or noncriminal samples of sexually
aggressive men actually reveals many similar characteristics
shared by both groups. The Hierarchical-Mediational Confluence
(HMC) model is presented here to integrate these findings. As
relatively distal risk factors, it includes personality and
behavioral characteristics associated with psychopaths and predictive
of antisocial behavior generally. As more proximate risk factors,
it includes personality and behavioral characteristics specifically
associated with sexual aggression, such as attitudes condoning
sexual aggression, dominance for sexual arousal, and heavy pornography
consumption. In addition, the model predicts that the interactive
combination of the various risk factors results in higher sexual
aggression than expected by the additive combination of these
risk factors, a prediction similar to the distinction between
"primary" and "secondary" psychopaths. A series of studies supporting
the HMC model is presented. Finally, some differences between
criminal and noncriminal sexual aggressors are also noted. In
particular, criminal sexual aggressors have often committed
various other antisocial acts in addition to sexual aggression.
In contrast, noncriminals primarily reveal only some elevation
in personality characteristics potentiating such nonsexual antisocial
behaviors, but report having committed only sexual aggression.
