HAPTER 8: UNIT OUTCOMES
C
1.Discuss aetiology of sexual offending.
The aetiology of sexual offending refers to the causes or origins of deviant sexual behaviour.
.Discuss low self esteem as an individual factor that contributes to sexual offending.(NB)
2
Sexual offenders generally have a low self-esteem that may be a precursor to sexual offending
and that may hamper their progress in intervention programmes. Furthermore, a low
self-esteem in sex offenders can be a reaction to being caught and/or punished or
stigmatised.Individuals with a low self-esteem are usually preoccupied with their own limitations
to such an extent that they do not have sufficient emotional energy reserves to be concerned
with other people’s feelings.Furthermore, individuals with a low self-esteem and limited
self-confidence will be so involved with fulfilling their own needs that they might ignore the
feelings of other individuals in order to succeed at their own goals and aspirations.
.Discuss low empathy deficits as an individual factor that contributes to sexual offending.
3
A lack of empathy can be a result of childhood attachment insecurity. The attachment deficit can
also be a contributing factor to adolescents’ failure to develop intimate relationships with their
peers and this might be conducive to deviant sexual behaviour. In addition, it has been found
that sex offenders do not recognise and have compassion with the victim’s distress to such an
extent that they can become sexually aroused while committing the offence. Many males will
commit sexual offences if they do not experience feelings of empathy.Sex offenders frequently
deny their offences and minimise the harm that the victim suffered.
.Discuss inadequate social skills as a relationship factor that contributes to sexual offending.
4
Inadequate social skills can also be seen as a contributing factor to sex offending, as it can lead
to the committing of a sexual offence due to the offender’s inability to form appropriate
relationships. One can deduct from this that many young males in South Africa who grow up in
adverse situations and in a situation where primary role-models with healthy balanced gender
identities are absent, will probably not be instilled with the necessary social skills. A lack of
these social skills could lead to an absence of realisation that females have exactly the same
rights and position in society compared to males and that their brash sexual advancement is
unacceptable. They often learn what they know about gender roles and sex from ignorant
guardians or parents, ill-equipped peers and other secondary sources who are also ill-informed.
In addition, sex offenders display social anxiety, aggression and under-assertiveness. In
conjunction with this, the above-mentioned factors can lead to a lack of self-confidence
experienced by sex offenders that can result in them becoming self-absorbed. A consequence
of the self-involvement can be that these individuals have a diminished ability to show empathy
towards others.
.Discuss childhood victimization as a relationship factor that contributes to sexual offending.
5
Sexually reactive offenders who commit sexual offences in response to their own abuse may not
be aware of the harmful effects of their behaviour and may not recognise their actions as
deviant. Furthermore, the victim often experiences sexual stimulation and subsequent
masturbation to images of their own abuse can condition victims to be sexually aroused by acts
or persons similar to the ones that he or she was subjected to.The victim eventually becomes
the offender in order to regain a sense of control and make sense out of the whole experience.
The relationship between the victim and the offender, as well as the nature and the duration of
the sexual abuse are important aspects that can be indicative of the possibility of a victim
becoming a sexual offender. Factors such as violence used during the sexual abuse, sexual
acts involving penetration, as well as continuous abuse increase the likelihood that the victim
will engage in sexual offending behaviour.
, .Discuss culture of violence as a community factor that contributes to sexual offending.(NB)
6
Societies where a culture of violence exists are characterised by the notion that violence is a
legitimate avenue that can be used to resolve problems or to achieve certain goals. This
legitimation of violence as a recourse to problem resolution, is intensified by the fact that South
Africans encounter violence on a daily basis. In addition, a male who witnesses violent
interaction, especially directed towards females, might learn that women are seen as inferior to
men and need to be disciplined when necessary. Furthermore, they can start associating
aspects such as anger, fear and violence as being part and parcel of intimate relationships and
this may lead to them being desensitised and not realising the detrimental consequences of
their actions.Moreover, from an early age, boys are socialised into traditional patriarchal notions
of what masculinity entails. These notions usually endorse and legitimize unequal male and
female power relations coupled with violence and intimidation.
.Discuss the use of substances as a community factor that contributes to sexual offending.
7
It is stated in the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of
2007 that, among other things, consent is absent where the victim was under the influence of
substances that led to an altered state of consciousness. This creates a scenario where the
victim is deemed unable to have been in a position to consent, but the offenders are expected to
take full responsibility for their actions, despite being under the influence of a substance as well.
.Discuss pornography as a community factor that contributes to sexual offending.(NB)
8
Adolescents’ exposure to pornography can lead to sexual promiscuity. A study conducted
confirms that the more frequently young people viewed sexually explicit material, the more they
thought about sex, the more intense their interest in sex became and the more frequently their
thoughts were preoccupied with sex, distracting them from their normal daily activities. The
possibility of sexually deviant behaviour, resulting from exposure to sexually explicit images
viewed at a young age, is therefore something that has to be considered. Furthermore, the
consumer of pornographic material might be influenced by the images that they view to such an
extent that they might develop negative attitudes toward women. Some of the pornographic
material viewed by research participants depicted sexually aggressive acts against women as
enjoyable for both the male and female participants in the pornographic scenes. In addition,
some of the research participants indicated that they derived pleasure from viewing
pornographic material depicting the rape or violent treatment of women. She concluded that the
viewing of pornography may promote sexual aggression, especially when taking into account
that the viewing of violent pornography leads to sexual arousal in some consumers.
.Discuss social constructs as a societal factor that contributes to sexual offending.
9
Social constructs play a significant role in contributing to sexual offending by shaping societal
norms, expectations, and reactions to sexual violence. These constructs influence how victims
are treated, how offenders justify their actions, and whether victims feel safe to disclose their
experiences. One key issue is the reaction to victims' disclosure. The way others
respond—positively or negatively—can impact a victim’s self-blame and recovery. Supportive
reactions from family or friends can aid healing, while negative reactions, such as ridicule or
blame, can increase trauma and discourage victims from reporting the offence. Gender roles, as
social constructs, further complicate this. Society often defines strict ideas about masculinity
and femininity—expecting men to be strong and dominant, and women to be submissive and
passive. When someone deviates from these roles (e.g. homosexual males), their experiences
of sexual victimisation are often dismissed or misinterpreted.These distorted social beliefs lead
C
1.Discuss aetiology of sexual offending.
The aetiology of sexual offending refers to the causes or origins of deviant sexual behaviour.
.Discuss low self esteem as an individual factor that contributes to sexual offending.(NB)
2
Sexual offenders generally have a low self-esteem that may be a precursor to sexual offending
and that may hamper their progress in intervention programmes. Furthermore, a low
self-esteem in sex offenders can be a reaction to being caught and/or punished or
stigmatised.Individuals with a low self-esteem are usually preoccupied with their own limitations
to such an extent that they do not have sufficient emotional energy reserves to be concerned
with other people’s feelings.Furthermore, individuals with a low self-esteem and limited
self-confidence will be so involved with fulfilling their own needs that they might ignore the
feelings of other individuals in order to succeed at their own goals and aspirations.
.Discuss low empathy deficits as an individual factor that contributes to sexual offending.
3
A lack of empathy can be a result of childhood attachment insecurity. The attachment deficit can
also be a contributing factor to adolescents’ failure to develop intimate relationships with their
peers and this might be conducive to deviant sexual behaviour. In addition, it has been found
that sex offenders do not recognise and have compassion with the victim’s distress to such an
extent that they can become sexually aroused while committing the offence. Many males will
commit sexual offences if they do not experience feelings of empathy.Sex offenders frequently
deny their offences and minimise the harm that the victim suffered.
.Discuss inadequate social skills as a relationship factor that contributes to sexual offending.
4
Inadequate social skills can also be seen as a contributing factor to sex offending, as it can lead
to the committing of a sexual offence due to the offender’s inability to form appropriate
relationships. One can deduct from this that many young males in South Africa who grow up in
adverse situations and in a situation where primary role-models with healthy balanced gender
identities are absent, will probably not be instilled with the necessary social skills. A lack of
these social skills could lead to an absence of realisation that females have exactly the same
rights and position in society compared to males and that their brash sexual advancement is
unacceptable. They often learn what they know about gender roles and sex from ignorant
guardians or parents, ill-equipped peers and other secondary sources who are also ill-informed.
In addition, sex offenders display social anxiety, aggression and under-assertiveness. In
conjunction with this, the above-mentioned factors can lead to a lack of self-confidence
experienced by sex offenders that can result in them becoming self-absorbed. A consequence
of the self-involvement can be that these individuals have a diminished ability to show empathy
towards others.
.Discuss childhood victimization as a relationship factor that contributes to sexual offending.
5
Sexually reactive offenders who commit sexual offences in response to their own abuse may not
be aware of the harmful effects of their behaviour and may not recognise their actions as
deviant. Furthermore, the victim often experiences sexual stimulation and subsequent
masturbation to images of their own abuse can condition victims to be sexually aroused by acts
or persons similar to the ones that he or she was subjected to.The victim eventually becomes
the offender in order to regain a sense of control and make sense out of the whole experience.
The relationship between the victim and the offender, as well as the nature and the duration of
the sexual abuse are important aspects that can be indicative of the possibility of a victim
becoming a sexual offender. Factors such as violence used during the sexual abuse, sexual
acts involving penetration, as well as continuous abuse increase the likelihood that the victim
will engage in sexual offending behaviour.
, .Discuss culture of violence as a community factor that contributes to sexual offending.(NB)
6
Societies where a culture of violence exists are characterised by the notion that violence is a
legitimate avenue that can be used to resolve problems or to achieve certain goals. This
legitimation of violence as a recourse to problem resolution, is intensified by the fact that South
Africans encounter violence on a daily basis. In addition, a male who witnesses violent
interaction, especially directed towards females, might learn that women are seen as inferior to
men and need to be disciplined when necessary. Furthermore, they can start associating
aspects such as anger, fear and violence as being part and parcel of intimate relationships and
this may lead to them being desensitised and not realising the detrimental consequences of
their actions.Moreover, from an early age, boys are socialised into traditional patriarchal notions
of what masculinity entails. These notions usually endorse and legitimize unequal male and
female power relations coupled with violence and intimidation.
.Discuss the use of substances as a community factor that contributes to sexual offending.
7
It is stated in the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of
2007 that, among other things, consent is absent where the victim was under the influence of
substances that led to an altered state of consciousness. This creates a scenario where the
victim is deemed unable to have been in a position to consent, but the offenders are expected to
take full responsibility for their actions, despite being under the influence of a substance as well.
.Discuss pornography as a community factor that contributes to sexual offending.(NB)
8
Adolescents’ exposure to pornography can lead to sexual promiscuity. A study conducted
confirms that the more frequently young people viewed sexually explicit material, the more they
thought about sex, the more intense their interest in sex became and the more frequently their
thoughts were preoccupied with sex, distracting them from their normal daily activities. The
possibility of sexually deviant behaviour, resulting from exposure to sexually explicit images
viewed at a young age, is therefore something that has to be considered. Furthermore, the
consumer of pornographic material might be influenced by the images that they view to such an
extent that they might develop negative attitudes toward women. Some of the pornographic
material viewed by research participants depicted sexually aggressive acts against women as
enjoyable for both the male and female participants in the pornographic scenes. In addition,
some of the research participants indicated that they derived pleasure from viewing
pornographic material depicting the rape or violent treatment of women. She concluded that the
viewing of pornography may promote sexual aggression, especially when taking into account
that the viewing of violent pornography leads to sexual arousal in some consumers.
.Discuss social constructs as a societal factor that contributes to sexual offending.
9
Social constructs play a significant role in contributing to sexual offending by shaping societal
norms, expectations, and reactions to sexual violence. These constructs influence how victims
are treated, how offenders justify their actions, and whether victims feel safe to disclose their
experiences. One key issue is the reaction to victims' disclosure. The way others
respond—positively or negatively—can impact a victim’s self-blame and recovery. Supportive
reactions from family or friends can aid healing, while negative reactions, such as ridicule or
blame, can increase trauma and discourage victims from reporting the offence. Gender roles, as
social constructs, further complicate this. Society often defines strict ideas about masculinity
and femininity—expecting men to be strong and dominant, and women to be submissive and
passive. When someone deviates from these roles (e.g. homosexual males), their experiences
of sexual victimisation are often dismissed or misinterpreted.These distorted social beliefs lead
