The article by Dr. Rosemary Iconis sheds light on the various myths and falsehoods about rape/sexual assault that many men and women in this country may harbor – and how potentially dangerous that may be. While reading the article, I found myself completely recognizing every “myth” that Iconis brought up; the victim-blaming, viewing of rape as a crime of passion and the unjust beliefs surrounding the psychological consequences of rape were all perceptions I was aware of. I would encounter them in casual conversations between peers, classroom debates, social media – sometimes even in myself. Personally, I believe that they can be attributed not only to sexism and the ascription of gender stereotypes and constructs to both the victims and the perpetrators but the belief in a just world. This is a cognitive bias where one believes that all things are fair – and whatever a person encounters and experiences during their lifetime, whether positive or traumatizing – is ultimately what they deserve. This is especially prevalent in rape myths that attribute blame toward the victims of rape, such as when Iconis cites a study by Acock and Ireland (qtd. in pg 2) which found that violations of gender norms on the part of the victim (typically female) may be used as justification for their rape. Ultimately, this is an attempt to rationalize away any notion that what occured to them is something that they could not prevent once they made the decision to violate the “rules” of a gendered society, rather than the heinous actions of a person who took advantage of someone else unlawfully. Instead, the rapist becomes an inevitability and is thus absolved of the brunt of the guilt. Is this also due to the notion that male sexual aggression is “normalized” in our society? I think that may possibly be true.

My name is Tyler Lubin and I am a visiting student from SUNY morrisville and a Psychology Major. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I wish to become a lisenced clinical psychologist in the future in the hopes to help others deal with their neuroses and/or any other personal problems they may have. That’s it