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

Abstract

Female Japanese students answered questionnaires about personality (Sociosexual Orientation Inventory and the Big Five) and the frequency of having been targeted for unexpected advances by strangers. Women who reported having been frequently targeted for being “picked up” with sexual intentions had unrestricted sociosexuality (r = .38, p < .0001; n = 145) and had personalities that suggested unrestricted sociosexuality (extraversion and openness). The frequency of being targeted for inappropriate touching was not associated consistently with personality traits. Women who reported having been frequently targeted for nonsexual advances were likely to rate themselves high in agreeableness. The ecological significance of the ability to choose a stranger with whom to interact, based on person perceptions through brief observation, is discussed.

Are sexually permissive individuals more victimized and socially isolated?

“…Our finding that permissiveness is linked to more experiences of relational aggression is consistent with prior findings of more sexual aggression and harassment reported by permissive individuals (Kennair & Bendixen, ; Perilloux et al, ; Sakaguchi & Hasegawa, ), and extends them beyond sexual victimization. It is also consistent with stigma and hostility expressed by research participants toward permissiveness across a variety of social contexts and research methods (Allison & Risman, ; Bleske & Shackelford, ; Coutinho et al, ; Gentry, ; Mark & Miller, ; Marks & Fraley, ; O'Sullivan, ; Sprecher et al, , ; Vaillancourt & Sharma, ; Vrangalova et al, ).…”

“…Evidence regarding victimization is limited to studies of sexual victimization. For example, more permissive Norwegian high school students of both sexes reported more frequent subjection to sexual harassment by peers (Kennair & Bendixen, ), and more permissive female college students reported more unwanted sexual advances by strangers (Sakaguchi & Hasegawa, ) and experiences of completed or attempted rape (Perilloux, Duntley, & Buss, ). To our knowledge, no study has examined the relation between participants' permissiveness and their perceptions of nonsexual relational aggression or sense of discrimination (particularly on the basis of their permissiveness).…”

“…Individual differences in permissiveness are discernible to observers, including complete strangers. Permissiveness can be estimated at zero acquaintance through visual cues, including facial features, body features, or body language (Boothroyd, Cross, Gray, Coombes, & Gregson‐Curtis, ; Boothroyd, Jones, Burt, DeBruine, & Perrett, ; Gangestad, Simpson, DiGeronimo, & Biek, ; Sakaguchi & Hasegawa, ), and can also become known to others through actual sexual behavior, reputation, or verbal disclosure of one's attitudes, desires, and experiences to friends and partners. Thus, to the extent that permissiveness is detectable and perceived negatively, permissive persons are more likely to be victimized by acts of aggression and discrimination, to have fewer friends and other social connections, and to perceive themselves as more socially isolated (i.e., lonely).…”

Psychopathic Traits and Perceptions of Victim Vulnerability

“…It is possible that our results would have been different if the crime was a sexual assault or carjacking, however. Sakaguchi and Hasegawa (2007) concluded that victimizers assessed potential victims by differing criteria according to the form of victimization they intended to perpetrate. For example, verbal sexual advance was associated with personality traits, whereas unwelcome sexual touching was not.…”

No Regard for Those Who Need It: The Moderating Role of Follower Self-Esteem in the Relationship Between Leader Psychopathy and Leader Self-Serving Behavior

“…The infamous psychopathic serial killer Ted Bundy, for instance, boasted about his observational competencies by stating that he “could tell a victim by the way she walked down the street, the tilt of her head, the manner in which she carried herself, etc…” (as cited in Holmes and Holmes, 2009 , p. 221). Several scholars indeed confirm that victims share certain characteristics that seem to predispose them for abuse and exploitation ( Grayson and Stein, 1981 ; Richards et al, 1991 ; Gunns et al, 2002 ; Sakaguchi and Hasegawa, 2007 ). Other studies indicate that those with psychopathic traits are particularly likely to pick up on those characteristics ( Book et al, 2013 ).…”