Victim Reactions During Rape/Sexual Assault

Abstract

Overt signs of victim resistance during rape are critical issues in the handling of and recovery from rape/sexual assault. However, a substantial number of victims do not resist the attacker in any way. Tonic immobility (TI), a well-known involuntary, reflexive response to fear-inducing stimuli, may aid in explaining the paralysis and “freezing” of many rape victims. In the present study, rape survivors were classified as immobile, intermediate, or mobile, based on a self-report measure. The immobile group manifested significantly more of the specific features associated with tonic immobility. Thirty-seven percent of the sample clearly demonstrated immobility during the attack. Various postrape behaviors and attitudes were found to be associated with the incidence of the immobility response.

Aversive life events enhance human freezing responses.

“…Theoretically, some models distinguish freezing from tonic immobility, with tonic immobility, or "death feigning" taking place after contact with the predator, when fight, flight, or freezing are no longer options that increase survival chances (Eilam, 2005;Marx, Forsyth, Gallup, Fusé, & Lexingon, 2008). Human retrospective studies have found peritraumatic tonic immobility to be associated with later impairment like posttraumatic stress disorder (Bovin et al, 2008;Galliano, Noble, Puechl, & Travis, 1993;Heidt, Marx, & Forsyth, 2005). The distinction between freezing and tonic immobility is an interesting one that merits further investigation with longitudinal designs.…”

Factor structure of the Tonic Immobility Scale in female sexual assault survivors: An exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

“…Burgess and Holmstrom (1976) classified such behaviors during sexual assault as falling into one or more categories: cognitive assessment strategies (e.g., mentally assessing the situation, attempting to remain calm and devising a plan of escape), verbal strategies (e.g., yelling, screaming, bargaining) and physical actions (e.g., fighting back). It has become increasingly evident, however, that some women respond to the attack by exhibiting a physiological response characterized by involuntary immobility or freezing (Burgess & Holmstrom, 1976;Galliano, Noble, Travis, & Puechl, 1993). This response, in turn, is loosely characterized by the feeling of being paralyzed or ''frozen'' during the attack, accompanied by an inability to physically resist or call for help.…”

“…It is not surprising, therefore, that several researchers and professionals who work with sexual assault survivors recognize the immobility reaction, more commonly referred to as ''rape-induced paralysis,'' as a distinct response that frequently occurs during sexual assault (Carter, Prentky, & Burgess, 1988, Suarez & Gallup, 1979, Ullman & Knight, 1995. Galliano et al (1993) conducted preliminary research on immobility reactions displayed by women who survived completed rapes. They classified the behavior of study participants during the assault as immobile, mobile or intermediate, based on participants' retrospective self-reports.…”

“…While the RSQ assessed for some of the features thought to characterize TI, items addressing several salient features of TI are not part of this questionnaire, namely, the inability to vocalize, feelings of numbness and characteristics of TI believed to occur in humans (e.g., feelings of fear and panic, memory for the event, fear for life and dissociative experiences, such as derealization and depersonalization). Furthermore, Galliano et al (1993) conceptualized TI as a categorical construct, represented by somewhat arbitrary cut-offs, when it fact it may be best represented on a continuum. It remains unclear whether these assumptions adequately characterize the nature and phenomenology of TI in laboratory animals and humans.…”

“…Participants classified as immobile were more likely to experience features known to characterize TI in animals, including motor inhibition, tremors, eye closure, increased respiration and reduced core body temperature (i.e., a subjective feeling of coldness), compared to their mobile and intermediate counterparts. Unfortunately, the authors based their conclusions on responses to the Rape Survivors Questionnaire (RSQ; Galliano et al, 1993), a brief, 31-item forced choice survey designed to assess sexual assault attitudes and experiences. While the RSQ assessed for some of the features thought to characterize TI, items addressing several salient features of TI are not part of this questionnaire, namely, the inability to vocalize, feelings of numbness and characteristics of TI believed to occur in humans (e.g., feelings of fear and panic, memory for the event, fear for life and dissociative experiences, such as derealization and depersonalization).…”