An Analysis of the Effects of Date Rape on Its Victims In the words of Helen Benedict (1992, p. 14) and I quote, “I prefer to characterize rape simply as a form of torture. Like the torturer, the rapist is motivated by the urge to dominate, humiliate, and destroy his victim. Like a torturer, he does so by using the most intimate of acts available to humans – sexual ones.” Taking the aforementioned into consideration, it is apparent that rape and all its forms destroys the victim of the act. This academic paper will then narrow its scope down to another form of rape, namely, Date rape. Date rape, like rape, is sexual intercourse without the consent of the victim. This paper will then seek to explain in as much detail what date rape is, its causes, the effect it has on its victim and preventative measures that are to be taken to avoid falling victim to this horrendous act violence. Rape is sex you do not agree to. On …show more content…
These effects are psychological, physiological and social in nature. Psychologically victims take it upon themselves that they are to blame for what has taken place e.g. “what if I had, I should have, if I had just…” these are the sentiments, more specifically, self-blame cripples the thought process and delays the path to recovery. It’s a defence mechanism, an avoidance type of coping mechanism. To further elaborate, other psychological effects include Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Depression, Flashbacks, Borderline Personality Disorder, sleeping and eating disorders, Dissociative Identity disorder, guilt, distrust and a feeling of powerlessness. The effects the aforementioned have on the individual include, nightmares, severe anxiety, uncontrolled thinking of the event, sudden weight gain or loss prolonged sadness, crying, apathy and suicidal tendencies. Victims then tend to suffer from detachment, resulting in inability to focus on work or school related