Attribution of responsibility for sexual crimes beyond individual actors – construction of responsibility of offenders, victims and society in laypersons’ explanations
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11657992 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Riikka Kotanen (0000-0003-0062-1192, University of Oxford, corresponding author), Johanna Kronstedt (University of Helsinki) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 358-374 |
| Publication date | 2019-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Review of Victimology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0269-7580 • E-ISSN: 2047-9433 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0269758018818931 |
| OpenAlex | W2906722618 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 46 |
This study analyses laypersons’ explanations for sexual violence. It focusses on how the responsibility for sexual crimes is constructed and attributed, and moreover, what kind of effect this has on the attribution of blame. The research data consist of 105 opinion pieces published in the leading Finnish newspaper since the beginning of the 21st century. The theory-driven qualitative analysis utilises attribution theory and focusses on laypersons’ interpretations and explanations for unusual acts and events deviating from social norms. Attribution theory is commonly utilised in relation to micro-level actors, the offender and the victim, whereas in this article, it is broadened to include also society as a macro-level actor. The analysis reveals that the construction of responsibility derives from (I) the chronological presentation and explanation of sexual crimes; especially (II) the causality attached to chronological phases, which emphasises the victim’s actions prior to the crime; and (III) the construction of active female agency against male passivity or absence of the perpetrator. Moreover, blame is based on a combination of active agency, produced in the analysed explanations, and stereotypical features connected to female gender (e.g. rape myths)
Agency (philosophy · Attribution · Blame · Causality (physics · Criminology · Moral responsibility · Poison control · Political science · Sociology · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Law · Psychology · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies · Social Psychology
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The psychology of interpersonal relations.
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The Ideal Victim
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Attribution Theory and Research
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Different Functions of Rape Myth Use in Court
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Scandinavian Exceptionalism in an Era of Penal Excess
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Cultural myths and supports for rape
Societal influences on attribution
Stop Blaming the Victim
Rape Myths
Social Change and Crime Rate Trends
Just world research and the attribution process
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,25 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2026 (5) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |