Abstract

The present study was carried out (a) to develop a Rape Myths Scale by revising the Burt s Rape Myths Acceptance Scale(Burt, 1980) and including more rape myths, (b) to assess the reliability and validity of the new scale, and (c) to examine the underlying nature of rape myths. Data collected from male undergraduate students and incarcerated criminals showed that (a) a Rape Myths Scale is highly reliable and valid, and (b)rape myths consist of 6 factors: Victim s sexual experience, misperception of woman s behavior, attribution of rape responsibility, victim fabrication, and victim pleasure. The statistically significant and positively correlated relationships between rape myths and sexual behaviors were found to be important. Undergraduate students differed from the criminals in that relationships. In the undergraduate students, victim s sexual experience, misperception of woman s behavior, and attribution of rape responsibility were positively associated with sexual behaviors. However, the relationships were not obtained in the incarcerated criminals. These results indicated that psychological processes involved in the relation between rape myths and sexual behaviors are different across the two respondent groups. Discussion focuses on the plausible underlying psychological processes between rape myths and sexual behaviors.