The power-reassurance rapist (numerically, the most common type of rapist) feels inadequate, not being the type with whom women would voluntarily become involved. He compensates for these feelings of male inadequacy by forcing women to have sex with him. All the while, as the designation suggests, he is looking for reassurance of his own power and potency. This type has sometimes been referred to as the “gentleman rapist,” “Gentleman rapist,” or even classified as an “unselfish” rapist, in large part because his offenses, although traumatic, are usually physically less damaging to his victim than those of other types of sex offenders. Such a rapist may even apologize during the assault or ask the victim if he is hurting her—a question that serves his own need for reassurance more than it expresses a genuine concern for the victim. Therefore, the terms “gentleman” and “unselfish” are applicable only within the context of the full spectrum of the types of rapists (14).

This type tends to be a loner who fantasizes that his victim actually enjoys the experience and might
even fall in love with him. He may go so far as to contact the victim after the assault and ask her to go out with him. Of course, the reality of rape cannot live up to his fantasies: instead of winning over a reluctant lover, he has terrorized, hurt, and angered an innocent person. Most rapists of the power-reassurance variety will admit later that they did not enjoy the sex with their victims. The experience did not satisfy the underlying obsession; therefore, he will have to try again with another woman.

Victims of choice are generally about the same age as or younger than the perpetrator and usually of the same race. If the rapist dates at all, the women he dates will be younger and less sophisticated than he; this is the only way he can feel equal. Because of his feelings of inadequacy, he gains control by surprise; he does not have the self-confidence or skills to con his way into a victim’s apartment smoothly, so he is more likely to break into the victim’s home in the middle of the night. When we delve into the past of this type of perpetrator, we generally see a history of unusual or bizarre masturbatory fantasies, often voyeurism, exhibitionism, cross-dressing, or making obscene phone calls. He frequents adult bookstores or movies and collects pornography. If he has a specific sexual dysfunction, it is likely to be premature ejaculation, which would be exhibited in consensual relationships and which he would report as a problem (from his point of view only) in his rapes.

He will tend to prefer the night and operate in his own residential or work area—in other words, within a very prescribed comfort zone—and will usually travel to the crime scene on foot. If he is a serial offender, this is particularly true of his first offense. He uses a weapon of opportunity, often something he finds at the crime scene. His patterns of crime are generally consistent, and the entire act, from the time he overpowers his victim until the time he leaves, is relatively brief, sometimes as short as 5 or 10 minutes. He will not use profanity or try to demean or humiliate his victim to the extent that the other rapist types will, but he may require her to recite a “script” in which she praises his lovemaking or expresses desire for him. He might cover the victim’s eyes or mask his own features, both for the self-preservation motive of preventing identification and the possibility that he knows he should be ashamed of his actions. He is timid and will do whatever the victim allows him to. Rather than tear off her clothes or force her to strip, he may expose only the parts of the victim’s body he intends to assault.

He is apt to keep a journal, news clippings, or some other record of his assaults to reassure himself of his potency. For the same reason, he may take souvenirs, such as pieces of the victim’s underwear. Afterward, he may feel guilty or remorseful. But unless he is a first-timer who tries it, does not like it, and decides never to do it again, he will do it again. He will continue with his acts of rape until he is caught or stopped by being arrested and incarcerated or killed or seriously injured in another crime or an unrelated incident. He tends to live alone or with his parents or in some type of dependent relationship. His mother probably was—or is—very domineering. He is employed below his ability level in a job that does not require a lot of contact with the public. Although he is physically the least dangerous type of rapist, if he is successful over a series of attacks, his confidence may be boosted and he may become more physically aggressive.

The exploitative rapist (the second most common type of rapist) is a more impulsive predator. His crimes result from seizing an opportunity that presents itself rather than by fantasizing about the act ahead of time. He might approach a potential victim with a ruse or con, or might employ a direct, overpowering, blitz-style attack. Unlike the power-reassurance rapist, this type will not appear in any way concerned with the victim’s welfare. He is selfish—verbally, physically, and sexually. He may suffer from some form of sexual dysfunction, and if he does, it will be just as apparent with his wife, girlfriend, or any other consenting partner as it will be with a victim of force. Often such sexual dysfunction is because of retarded ejaculation or difficulty in reaching climax.

Victims of preference tend to be around his age. He is on the prowl for a victim of opportunity, and this activity could take place in a bar or neighborhood he has targeted. Once he has a woman under his control, his only concern is getting her to submit sexually to him. That is the real thrill for him—the sex act is satisfying as an act of domination and control rather than providing what we think of as sexual gratification. Once he has forced submission, as far as he is concerned, the experience is over. But during that encounter, he can be expected to inflict multiple assaults on the victim. Anal assaults are common. Masks or attempts at disguise or hiding his face are uncommon. With this type of offender, often there will be an interval between rapes—a day, a month, 6 months—until he goes on the hunt once again; however, unlike the power-reassurance rapist, he will not try to maintain any contact with or come back to a victim once he has left her, although he often threatens to return if she reports the assault to police.

This type is very body conscious. He wants a macho reputation, to be known as a man’s man, and therefore is likely to have some physically oriented employment. He is interested in sports. His vehicle
reflects that image, too. In some regions of the country, it would be a Corvette or other muscle car; in others, it might be a pickup truck, well equipped for hunting. He does not take well to criticism or authority. He probably did not do well in high school or go to college. If married, he has a history of cheating on his wife and paying scant attention to his children. When we look into the background of such offenders, very often we find that his father has treated his mother in the same way the offender treats women.

For the anger rapist, also referred to as the anger-retaliatory rapist, sexual assault is a displaced expression of rage and anger. For this type of rapist, the victim represents a person—or group of people—the offender hates. This could be a mother, wife, or girlfriend, even women in general. But his anger and resentment need not be rooted in an actual or legitimate wrong ever perpetrated against him.

It would not be unusual for this type to be involved in an ongoing relationship with a woman. Because he is driven by rage, the consequences of the anger rapist’s attack can be anything from verbal abuse, to severe beating, to murder, although the fact that his conscious or subconscious intention is to get the anger out of his system means that this type usually will not kill. His attacks will be episodic, not at predictable intervals, triggered by precipitating stressors involving the woman or women at whom his rage is actually directed. In almost all cases, the displacement means he will not attack that person. He may attack someone else he knows, using weapons of opportunity such as kitchen knives or even his own fists if he is strong enough. Because he wants not just to overpower but to humiliate his target, there could be anal sex followed by oral sex and a great deal of profanity, and the context of his behavior will be an intention to degrade, such as by ejaculating on the victim’s face or clothing.

Therefore, it is important for the examiner to realize that DNA and other crucial evidence can be found on many parts of the victim’s body and her clothes. Whenever this is a possibility, a delicate but thorough line of questioning on this topic is indicated, with the twin goals of preserving the chain of evidence while ensuring the victim’s emotional well being.

This type is far less common than the two described previously, possibly accounting for as few as 5% of rapists.

The sadistic rapist is the least common type of rapist but in many ways he is the most dangerous sexual predator of all. The purpose of his attack is to live out his sadistic sexual fantasies on the unwilling victim. With this type, sexual fantasy and aggression merge, which is why he is also referred to as an anger–excitation rapist. Aggression and sadistic fantasy feed on each other, so, as the level of aggression rises, his level of arousal rises accordingly. His aggression is not anger based, as it is with the previous category. In fact, he can be quite charming and seductive as he lures the intended prey into his web. He is completely self-centered. The only thing he cares about is his own pleasure and satisfaction. He derives satisfaction from hurting people and having them in his power (15). Therefore, with this type, we expect to see various forms of mental and physical torture, and the physical torture may be directed particularly at sexually significant parts of the body such as mouth, breasts, genitals, buttocks, and rectum. His weapon of choice is frequently a knife, because it is so intimidating and causes mental anguish on the part of the victim. He often cuts or tears off his victim’s clothing because he figures she will not need it after he has finished with her. Depending on his preferences, there may be much sexual activity, probably highly perverse in nature, or even none. He could, for example, prefer to penetrate with a sharp object rather than with his penis. His language will be commanding and degrading, but impersonal. The victim is merely there as an actress in his self-scripted drama, and her role is to show fear and respond to pain. Therefore, there is often a victim of preference, symbolic to him in some way, be she old or young, white, black, or Asian, slim-figured or full-figured, black-haired or blonde, redhead or brunette.

The sadistic rapist anticipates his crime and has perfected his MO over the course of his criminal career. As his fantasy evolves and he gains more experience with different victims, he will take more time planning ahead for successive crimes. He brings his weapon(s) with him and may have a torture kit made up in advance, including pliers or other sharp instruments, whips, manacles, needles, or whatever object he needs to fulfill his fantasy. Because his assault unfolds over a long period of time, he will have a place to which he can take his victim, where he knows they will not be disturbed. This might be an obscure cabin in the woods or a specially outfitted and soundproofed van. He may tell the victim that if she does what he tells her he will not hurt her further or will let her go, but this is only a ruse to control her and get her to cooperate. Because his satisfaction lies in the act of tormenting and dominating his victim, he may take photographs or record the scene as it unfolds on either audiotape or videotape. For the same reason, he may also take souvenirs to help him relive the experience and demonstrate to himself
that he “owns” the victim. These souvenirs might include jewelry, items of clothing or underwear, or even body parts.

The attack itself will tend to be highly symbolic. There will be no remorse because the rapist has totally depersonalized his victim; he does not even think of her as a human being. This is the type of rape that most often ends in murder. In fact, killing the victim may be an integral part of the sadistic fantasy scenario. He may even continue to engage in activity with the body after death. It is generally impossible for the victim to play on his sympathy, because he has none. He wants her to suffer. The only instance in which he might relent is if the victim can somehow break through the depersonalization and get him to regard her as an individual. This occurred, for example, in one instance in which a victim stated that her husband had cancer. It happened that the rapist’s brother was battling cancer, and he let her go. Another time, a sadistic rapist revealed in a prison interview that one of his victims reminded him of his mother and so he had released her. Unfortunately, this is a very uncommon scenario with the sexual sadist.

The sadistic type is usually white, with above-normal intelligence, and may be college-educated with a good middle-class job. He has a dominant personality and likes to collect bondage and sadomasochistic pornography. He may also collect related items, such as knives, guns, or Nazi memorabilia, and read military, law enforcement, or survivalist literature. He may have a large attack-type dog, such as a German shepherd, Doberman, or Rottweiler. Because of his intelligence and planning, he will be difficult to apprehend.