Day 4- Hypermasculinity and Sexual Assault

• Explain how sexual behaviour could be socialized in males. Do you think that males who commit sexual assault are "hypermasculine"? Why and where do men learn "hypermasculine" behaviour?

Hypermasculinity is a psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behavior, such as an emphasis on strength, aggression, body hair, and smell. This means that men are led to believe that they are not manly enough unless they posess these traits. Many men with these exaggerated traits are envolved with sexual assault. Scientists believe this is not just because of a desire for sex but rather of power and domineering. I believe that men with hypermasculinity are more likely to assault another person not only becuase of the way they were brought up but also it may be bred in them to take control in situations where food, shelter, things, women, or other desirable traits are envolved. Drugs and alchohol may also be factors in the violence by subduing men's ability to stop violent impulses.

The way boys are raised should definately affect the way they feel they need to be as they become adults. For example, a boy whom is raised by a hockey playing father and a basketball playing mother will likely be envolved in sports either at the request of the parents or just the exposure to it. This boy will be sorrounded by people that believe violence is good for getting what you want. On the other hand, a boy who is raised by parents that believe sports are a waste of time may be less likely to exert physical violence on another person, due to the fact that he was not exposed to this exersion himself.

The best example of scrutinized hypermasculinity would be in jails, where men are frequently sexually assaulted. When nearly all the male inmates have symptoms of hypermasculinity, it shows that this coincides with sexual assault in nearly all cases.

Phillip Garrido was a man that had continually raped and beat girls in highschool. Later in his life, he would kidnap and continually rape a girl by the name of Jaycee Duggard. She would have his children, and would be forced to live in the backyard of Phillip and his wife Nancy Bocanegra for 18 years. Phillip, prior to being arrested for the kidnap and rape of Jaycee, discussed his struggle with his own violent sexual impulses, admitting that they were "hurting his loved ones". Jaycee gave birth to 2 girls while in captvity by Garrido. Jaycee was subdued and hid in the backyard for all this time. Phillip would have been driven by his supposed "sexual impulses" to assault Jaycee. His hypermasculinity may have been fueled by a drive for power that grew due to being an outsider in school or a car accident that may have caused a brain injury in his teens. I wouldn't doubt that he also assaulted his wife, but she never came forward to this, probably due to being afraid of her husband.