Individual Predictors

In research on sexual assault, individuals rather than couples are stud­ied typically. Therefore, individual predictors for sexual assault are identi­fied rather than interpersonal or sociocultural factors. Research on male perpetrators focuses on the rapists personality and behavior (White & Far­mer, 1992). Penile tumescence, a measure used in some research on sexual aggression, may focus our attention on biological explanations for sexual assault. The rapist becomes pathologized. His behavior becomes the act of one man in isolation rather than embedded in its cultural context. Re­search on the victim focuses on characteristics that may have precipitated her assault (White & Farmer, 1992), factors that might decrease her ability to firmly resist sexual advances (e. g., self-esteem or alcohol use). As a result, the victim may be blamed. Research with the dyad as the unit of analysis is needed to better understand sexual assault (Shotland, 1989). The couple and the culture in which they are embedded must be investigated to enrich our knowledge of sexual assault and the context in which it occurs.