title: Perceptions of interpersonal versus intergroup violence: the case of sexual assault.
abstract: The social identity approach makes a distinction between behavior motivated by intergroup versus interpersonal identities, which may be relevant to victim blaming in the case of rape. Using a mock jury paradigm, we examined the impact of defining rape as an act of interpersonal violence (personal assault) versus intergroup violence (a "hate crime"), crossed with a manipulation describing the attacker as either an acquaintance or stranger. Defining rape in intergroup terms led to less victim blame than when it was defined in interpersonal terms, and participants blamed the victim more when she was assaulted by an acquaintance than a stranger.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Droogendyk
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Stephen C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D011902:Rape / Q000523:psychology; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D012938:Social Perception; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult