Psychological factors involved in the development of serial rapists in South Africa : a mixed-methods study

Abstract

The serial rape phenomenon has recently gained publicity in South Africa while receiving little academic or scientific attention. Scanty empirical research on serial rape is mostly on the criminological factors, with little attention being paid to the psychological factors. The present study sought to examine the psychological factors involved in the development of serial rapists, including the motivations underlying serial rape behaviour. A mixed-methods research approach, with one part being a systematic review and the other being a case study design, was used in this study. For the review study, only four studies met the inclusion criteria and proceeded to the data-matrix analytical stage. For the qualitative aspect, two male participants who were convicted of serial rape were purposefully sampled and participated in semistructured in-depth interviews. The theoretical propositions case study analytical method was used to derive meaning from the two case studies. Object relations theory was the theoretical framework of choice. Findings from both studies found a high prevalence of early childhood traumatic experiences in cases of serial rapists. Traumas suffered varied from multiple experiences of psychological, physical, and sexual forms of abuse. Similarly, parental neglect, abandonment, and rejection including punitive parenting were frequently reported. In both studies, the results revealed that serial rapists had a long history of mental health problems. Also, the results exposed that the psychological drive or motive behind serial rape behaviour is related to early childhood traumas that were experienced by the perpetrators. It is therefore conclusive that early attachment disruptions due to complex traumas suffered by some rapists could help explain their serial rape behaviour. Effectively, the present study suggests a need for a multipronged strategy guided by idiographic, intra-psychic-oriented thinking when dealing with cases of serial rapists. Rehabilitation programs targeting only serial rapists’ behavioural problems may not necessarily yield sustainable results. It is therefore recommended that correctional centers integrate tailor-made intrapsychic-oriented therapies within existing rehabilitation programs. The present study proposes a serial rapists’ developmental model that can help in the conception and management of serial rapists