Body Language of Women and Judgments of Vulnerability to Sexual Assault

Abstract

The present study experimentally examined the effects of body language on judgments of vulnerability to sexual assault by strangers. Four features of body language (stride length, weight shift, body‐limb movement, and foot movement) were manipulated to create 2 typical victim profiles and 1 typical nonvictim profile. Short videotapes of 3 adult female models walking alone in each of the 3 body language profiles were filmed. Forty‐one college students and 33 police officers individually viewed 3 videotapes (each showing a different model and a different body language profile) and made judgments for each about the woman's confidence level and vulnerability to sexual assault. As predicted, women in the 2 victim profiles were judged to be significantly more vulnerable to sexual assault and significantly less confident than women in the nonvictim profile. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Women's bar-related victimization: Refining and testing a conceptual model

“…Greater negative affect may then be reflected in a woman's behavior in ways that may increase her vulnerability to potential perpetrators. Researchers have found that emotional states (e.g., sadness and anger) [Montepare et al, 1987] as well as cues about vulnerability for assault (e.g., submis-siveness) [Grayson and Stein, 1981;Murzynski and Degelman, 1996] are reflected in an individual's gait (e.g., arm swing and stride length). It has been suggested that victims of sexual assault exhibit less assertive or more submissive behaviors before and during an attack and thus unconsciously signal vulnerability to perpetrators [for a summary see Richards, 1991].…”

Personality Correlates with Frequency of Being Targeted for Unexpected Advances by Strangers1

“…There are also reports that some movement characteristics that are revealed through the natural gait give the impression that an individual would be easy to victimize. Awkwardness, less coordination, and a slow gait make a target person appear less confident and easier to attack (Grayson & Stein, 1981; Gunns, Johnston, & Hudson, 2002; Murzynski & Degelman, 1996).…”

Survivors of psychopaths : an investigation of victimization experiences, coping, and social support

“…Emotions and accompanying behaviour can also be illustrators of personality traits. Existing research in victimology supports the notion that it is possible for both offenders and nonoffenders to identify people who exhibit behaviour or personality traits conducive to victimization, such as previous history as a victim or submissiveness (Grayson & Stein, 1981;Murzynski & Degelman, 1996;Richards, Rollerson, & Phillips, 1991). McCormick and Trent (2007) identify several traits which would encourage victimization by a psychopath, such as gullibility, communication difficulties, problems with establishing and maintaining boundaries, low self-confidence, and a strong eagerness to please others.…”