Rapist types

When I first remembered that my father raped me, I wanted to kill myself. To survive the pain, I dove into organizing it - making a timeline of his abuses, making a timeline of my childhood, researching facts about anatomy of the rape, and researching facts about the rape itself - from the patriarchial family stereotype that conditions men into supreme beings to the rapists types - this was my salvation, my path to understanding what happened to me. I was astounded to find that my father matched the rapist type almost to the dot - the type number 2, the power assertive rapist.

According to GUIDELINES FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT INVESTIGATION published in 1986 and revised in 1999 by California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, there are 5 rapist types (an excerpt from the Guidelines is below):

TYPE 1: Power Reassurance Rapist (Gentleman Rapist). 81 % of all rapists.

Motive: to resolve self-doubts by reassuring himself of his masculinity with no real intent to harm his victim

Offense method: "surprise" approach with force. Strikes between midnight and 5:00 a.m., usually at victim's residence. Selects through stalking. Victim alone or with small children. Minimum force necessary for control. If resisted, will generally negotiate, threaten, desist or flee. Uses little or no profanity. Often demands personal verbal activity from victim - i.e., her desire or love for him. Will do whatever the victim allows him to do. Attacks in his own residential or work area. Usually travels on foot. Unselfish verbally, physically, and sexually. Covers his victim's face or asks her not to look at him. Slight increase in aggression with increased attacks. Frequently displays a weapon. If he has sexual dysfunction, usually premature ejaculation or impotency (erectile insufficiency). Victim in same age bracket (plus or minus three years). Assault done in short period of time. Usually single assault. Consistent pattern of attacks (7-15 days). Continues assaults until incapacitated. May call victim before of after assault. He believes that victim enjoyed experience. Will ask the victim to remove her own clothing. May expose only the body parts he assaults. Likely to apologize after the attack. Often takes souvenir. May keep journal or diary of assaults. Victim is generally of the same race. Kissing, fondling, and/or digital penetration of victim is common.

Characteristics of Power Reassurance Rapist: Inadequate personality. Gentle, quiet, passive. Single. Previous criminal involvement includes peeping activities, fetish burglaries, breaking and entering. Nuisance offenses. Underachiever. Collects soft adult pornography. If veteran, received general discharge. Non-competitive. Lives near victims. Resides with parents or alone. Mother very domineering. Loner with few friends. Frequents adult bookstores/movies. Self-concept as a loser. Employment With Little or No Content With the Public.

TYPE 2: Power Assertive Rapist. 12% of all rapists.

Motive: expressing his virility, dominance, superiority. He is "entitled" because he is a man, e.g., will rape after two or three dates.

Offense method: Attacks early evening, 7:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Usually attacks some distance from where he lives or works. Usually victim of opportunity, but may meet at bar or date one to two times. If armed, has a weapon of choice. If resisted, will hit, slap, and curse until he gets what he wants. Likely to tear clothes. 20-25 days between assaults. No contact with victim will be maintained. Anal assault likely. If sexually dysfunctional, will exhibit retarded ejaculation with wife or girlfriend as well as victim. Approach is direct and overpowering or con. Multiple assaults on victim. Makes little or no attempt to disguise appearance. Selfish verbally, physically and sexually.

Characteristics of Power Assertive Rapist: Very body conscious, macho, athletic-minded and active. Problems in high school - did not need it. Doesn't like authority. If veteran, was administratively terminated from ground forces. No mental health case history unless court ordered. Multiple marriages with history of unfaithfulness, domination, and spousal abuse. Primary concern is his image. If criminal record, will be for crimes against property and domestic disturbances. Uses, but not necessarily abuses, alcohol and drugs. Father probably acted same way towards his mother. Socially projects macho image and frequents single bars. Drives a flashy car as defined by the region where the suspect lives. Very self-centered, cannot stand criticism.

TYPE 3: Anger Retaliatory Rapist. 5% of all rapists.

Motive: to punish and degrade women - get even using sex as weapon for real or perceived injustices to him by women. 

Offense method: "Blitz" style attack. Occurs in own area. Spends short time with victim. Selects victim of same age or older. Tears clothing off of victim. Episodic assaults - precipitated by something in life involving a domestic' partner but will not assault the partner. If sexually dysfunctional, will suffer from retarded ejaculation. Likely to beat the victim before, during, and after the assault. Favors anal intercourse followed by oral copulation (fellatio). Great deal of directed profanity. Ejaculates on victim's face. Spontaneous - attacks anytime. Typically does not kill but may. If the victim dies, may defecate on the victim.

Characteristics of anger retaliatory rapist: Conflicted marriage, has affairs. If history of mental care, done so by court order; likely stemming from domestic abuse. Quick and violent temper. If an arrest history, will be for disorderly conduct crimes. Alcohol abuse. Involved in highly competitive sports. Pornography not a factor. Socially a loner - will not drink with groups. Superficial relationships with people. Action-oriented job to help work off aggression, i.e., laborer construction worker. No specific type of car. High school dropout. Will feel some guilt, but will attack again, six months to one year.

TYPE 4: Anger Excitation Rapist (Sadist). 3% - 5% of all rapists. 

Motive: to inflict physical/emotional pain on his victim. His aggression is eroticized.

Offense method: most thought-out and premeditated of all perpetrators. Uses a situation determined con. Once victim is under his control, dramatically changes. Immobilizes via the use of blindfold, gag, handcuffs, etc. Victims are strangers. Crime committed long distance from his home or job. Has his weapon with him, may have a rape kit (gloves, tape, rope, etc.) and a van (to provide privacy for his assault). May have pre-selected private or remote location where he commits assault. Sexual acts may be excessive, experimental in nature, or be pseudo-sexual acts of torture. Selfish behavior. May blindfold victim and describe what he is doing to victim in detail. May use Polaroids, tape recorders, to record acts. May employ ritualistic techniques. May change patterns as he learns from experience. May search for victims by cruising. May select symbolic victims. No remorse. Victims' age may vary. Episodic attacks depending on reactions of victim. Dysfunction will be retarded ejaculation. Likely to cut or tear clothes off. Commanding and degrading language, impersonal during the assault.

Characteristics of anger-excitation rapist: No mental health care history. Likely collects bondage, S & M, and discipline pornography. Collects and reads detective magazines. May collect Nazi paraphernalia. Above average I.Q. Very often college educated. Uses, but not abuses, marijuana and cocaine. No arrest record. Usually in 30's and family man. Compulsive - if military background, did well. Difficult to apprehend. Car clean and well maintained. Middle class - white collar job. Extremely meticulous.

TYPE 5: Opportunist Rapist. Unknown percentage of all rapists. 

Motive and Offense method: Sexual assault for sexual gratification. Burglarizes home, robs 7-11's, finds women who appeal to him and does not appear ready to violently resist, so he rapes. Probably used drugs or alcohol just before to lower inhibitions. Rapes only once. Usually does not hurt victim physically. Rape is many times connected with other crimes (little or no premeditation).

I have asked my cousin to buy and send me one of my father's books (he wrote two criminal novels back in his time when he was writing) - to understand his psyche better, to continue classifying him, to continue making sense of what happened to me. After reading about the rapist types, his behavior fell into place. All his walking around the house in his underwear only, showing off his muscles; all his screaming and inability to hear any criticism whatsoever, from anyone; him telling my mother that women were made to haul water; his countless marriages - he is onto marriage number 4 right now; his complete ignorance of me after each assault, and the pattern of picking me up for holidays or weekends, roughly once a month; his constant need for power assurance, his bizarre behaviors like public farting, dipping with fingers into sauce at restaurants; his inability to EVER apologize, even if it was clearly his fault. All of it simply made sense - and made me think that this type of information must be public. What a huge difference it would have made if my mother knew this, if I knew this, if it was taught at school, or if school had girls and women support groups, to talk about the common traits of rapists. It was non-existent - I hope there will be a day when this changes.