Master's Theses

Department

Psychology

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Abstract

Rape has increased in frequency across time and has now become a major problem in this society. The effects of rape are often severe and persistent and may lead to a person seeking help via counseling. Empathy may be one factor involved in successful treatment of rape victims. This empathy may evolve due to similarities of experience between the victim and the person providing comfort and support. If similarity of experience plays a large part in fostering empathy, then it is possible that a person who feels victimized in general will have higher levels of empathy for a rape victim due to the analogous feelings of being a victim. A devised victimization questionnaire and a rape empathy scale were used to determine if a relationship existed between feelings of victimization and rape empathy levels. A multiple regression procedure was used to determine the relationship between perceived feelings of victimization and rape empathy levels. The results of the current research indicate that a significant, negative correlation exists between scores on the victimization Questionnaire (VQ) and the Rape Empathy Scale (RES). A significant relationship was found between gender and RES scores. Additionally, a negative relationship was discovered between ethnic background and RES scores.

Keywords

Psychology

Advisor

Karen McFadden

Date of Award

Summer 1995

Document Type

Thesis - campus only access

Rights

© The Author(s)

Comments

For questions contact ScholarsRepository@fhsu.edu

Download

Off Campus FHSU Users Click Here

Share

COinS