Deficits in Intimacy and Empathy in Sexually Aggressive Men

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Abstract
One explanation for male sexual aggression implicates certain adverse consequences of male gender socialization. It is argued that “masculinization,” especially in its more extreme forms, leads to hostility toward, and a devaluation of, women, and to a reduction in the capacity for empathy and the need for intimacy with others. Together, these effects are thought to produce a predisposition for sexual aggression against women. The two studies reported here tested the hypothesis that sexually aggressive men would be more gender stereotyped and would manifest lower capacities for empathy and intimacy. Results were mostly supportive of the hypothesis.