Psychologist Challenges Views on Rape

David Lisak, a clinical psychologist who specializes in the study of interpersonal violence, prefaced his presentation last night with a disclaimer:

“Whenever I speak, I get people depressed,” he said. “No doubt today, it’ll be the same.”

Though the topic of sexual assault did sober the students—who gasped and cringed throughout the event—Lisak’s message was one of hope more than resignation.

As part of the annual Take Back the Night’s week of events focusing on sexual assault and prevention issues on campus, the Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response teamed up with Harvard Men Against Rape and the Black Men’s Forum (BMF) to sponsor Lisak’s talk, “The Undetected Rapist.”

As a professor at the University of Massachusetts, Lisak researches the motives and behaviors of rapists to construct a psychological portrait of a rapist that diverges from stereotypes of the “nice guy” date rapist or the “ski mask” man crouching in the bushes.

Lisak said most universities are doing a “terrible job” fighting sexual violence on campus.

“Our institutions are responding to sexual violence pretty much the way the Catholic Church is responding to sexual violence,” he said.

Lisak said that even non-rapists must face the issue of sexual violence because it is a “human problem” that permeates all cultures.

He showed a video clip from his research that had involved interviews with thousands of college men about their sexual experiences.

A subset of these men described rape, though they would not consider it as such.

Lisak said that those actively battling sexual assault are “isolated voices” whose efforts are hampered by the lack of unified leadership.

“What we don’t have yet is courageous moral leadership from the leadership of our institutions,” he said. “That’s a huge missing piece.”

Lisak said hope for facing the issue of sexual violence lies in non-rapists, who must be mobilized and made to feel responsible for the welfare of the community.

“The answer comes out of a collective conversation,” Lisak said.

BMF President Ralph L. Bouquet ’09 said he was “struck close to home” by Lisak’s discussion of the presence of sexual violence on college campuses.

“A lot of scenarios you can see happening here,” he said. “It forces us to be extra vigilant and to recognize the signs.”

—Staff Writer Esther I. Yi can be reached at estheryi@fas.harvard.edu.