Attraction to Sexual Aggression Scale

Abstract

The Attraction to Sexual Aggression Scale (ASAS) is a specialized psychological scale developed by N. M. Malamuth in 1989. Its primary objective is to quantify an individual’s attraction toward, and proclivity for, acts of sexual aggression, including the use of force or coercion in sexual contexts. The instrument is crucial for research into the etiology and prediction of sexually coercive behavior, particularly rape proclivity, by assessing cognitive, affective, and behavioral components related to non-consensual sex.

Keywords

Sexual aggression, Rape proclivity, Malamuth, Coercive sexuality, Sexual deviance, Psychometrics, Sex research, Antisocial behavior.

Authors

N. M. Malamuth, University of California, Los Angeles.

Purpose

The central purpose of the ASAS is to provide a reliable and valid self-report measure of covert components of sexual aggression, such as fantasies, arousal patterns, and behavioral intentions related to non-consensual sexual acts. Unlike measures focusing solely on past criminal behavior, the ASAS investigates cognitive and affective precursors to sexual violence.

The scale is structured to assess attraction across several critical dimensions, including the frequency of thoughts about aggressive acts, the degree of perceived sexual arousal derived from them, and the perceived likelihood of committing such an act if assured of no punishment. This multi-faceted approach allows researchers to differentiate between individuals who are merely exposed to aggressive content and those who demonstrate a genuine psychological attraction to sexual aggression.

Construct

The primary psychological construct measured by the ASAS is the attraction to sexual aggression. This construct encompasses a pattern of cognitive and emotional responses where sexual gratification is associated with the domination, coercion, or suffering of another person, typically a female victim. Malamuth’s extensive research (1989a, 1989b) established that this attraction is a key component of a broader disposition often termed rape proclivity, which underlies the potential for sexually coercive behavior.

The instrument operationalizes this attraction by combining responses to questions about specific coercive and aggressive scenarios (e.g., raping a woman, forcing a female to submit) with items related to general deviance and criminality (e.g., robbing a bank, killing someone). This structure allows for the isolation of the sexually aggressive component from generalized antisocial tendencies, thereby targeting a critical aspect of sexual deviance relevant to clinical and forensic psychology.

Validity

The ASAS has demonstrated robust criterion validity, particularly in its correlation with behavioral and physiological measures of sexual deviance. Studies have shown that scores on the ASAS significantly predict self-reported likelihood of committing non-consensual acts and, crucially, predict patterns of sexual arousal in laboratory settings when participants are exposed to audio-visual depictions of rape or coercive sex. High scores on the ASAS are strongly associated with higher levels of arousal to rape stimuli compared to consensual sex stimuli.

Furthermore, strong construct validity is evidenced by the scale’s ability to differentiate between groups of men known to exhibit sexually aggressive tendencies (such as convicted sexual offenders) and non-offending populations. The inclusion of non-sexual antisocial items helps establish discriminant validity by ensuring the scale measures attraction specifically linked to sexual aggression, rather than generalized criminality.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the ASAS is generally reported as high across various samples, often yielding Cronbach’s alpha coefficients exceeding 0.80 for the total score. This high internal consistency suggests that the various items measuring different facets of attraction to sexual aggression are coherently measuring the same underlying psychological construct. Test-retest reliability is also considered acceptable, indicating that the measured trait is relatively stable over time.

Factor Analysis

Factor analytical studies of the ASAS typically support a multi-dimensional structure, although a strong single factor representing overall attraction to sexual violence often dominates the variance. Malamuth’s early work suggested that the scale may tap into several related sub-factors, including components related to coercive fantasies, perceived probability of offending, and identification with aggressive scenarios. These analyses confirmed that items pertaining to forced sex load highly together, distinguishing them from items related to consensual sexual behaviors or purely criminal acts.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale.

Format: Paper-and-pencil questionnaire using multiple response formats, including Likert-type scales and percentage estimations.

Language Available: Primarily English (original development).

Population Group: Primarily used with male populations, given the focus on male sexual aggression against females, but applicable to general populations in sex research.

Age Group: Adults and university students (typically 18 years and older).

Population Details: Originally validated on university student samples, but widely applied in clinical, forensic, and general population research concerning sexual violence and deviance.

Test Methodology: Respondents are instructed to be AS HONEST as possible while answering questions across several domains (frequency of thought, attractiveness, arousal, likelihood of action) regarding various conventional, deviant, and aggressive behaviors. The scale utilizes categorical and continuous response options, often anchored by extremes (e.g., “Never/Often” or “Very unlikely/Very likely”).

Keywords

Sexual violence prediction, Coercion, Antisocial behavior, Forensic psychology, Self-report measure, Rape fantasies, Sexual deviance.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source (N. M. Malamuth, University of California, Los Angeles).

Correspondence Address: University of California, Los Angeles, USA.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The instrument was developed and published in 1989 (Malamuth, 1989a, 1989b). The source states that the scale is reprinted by permission of the author, indicating that researchers and clinicians should seek appropriate usage permissions from Dr. N. M. Malamuth or his affiliated institution prior to administration. Information regarding specific licensing fees is not included in the original source material.

Reference’s

Malamuth, N. M. (1989a). The Attraction to Sexual Aggression Scale: Part one. The Journal of Sex Research, 26, 26–49.

Malamuth, N. M. (1989b). The Attraction to Sexual Aggression Scale: Part two. The Journal of Sex Research, 26, 324–354.

Items of the Attraction to Sexual Aggression Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Social Relationships Research

Instructions: On the following pages there are a variety of different questions. Please answer all the questions to the best of your ability. If you are unsure of the answer to a question, please give your best guess. It is important that all of the questions be answered. There are no right or wrong answers, and no trick questions. Please answer the question by placing a tick in the box you choose, like this: Y. Please work quickly and be AS HONEST as possible. Your responses will be kept completely confidential. Thank you for your cooperation.

1. People frequently think about different activities even if they never do them. For each kind of activity listed, please indicate how often you have thought of trying it:

   Never Sometimes Often

   1. Necking (deep kissing)a

   2. Petting

   3. Oral sex

   4. Heterosexual intercourse

   5. Anal intercourse

   6. Homosexual acts

   7. Group sex

   8. Bondage sex

   9. Whipping, spanking sex

   10. Robbing a bank

   11. Raping a woman

   12. Forcing a female to do something sexual she didn’t want to

   13. Being forced to do something sexual you didn’t want to

   14. Transvestism (wearing women’s clothes)‌

   15. Sex with children

   16. Killing someone

   17. Selling illegal drugs

2. Whether or not you have ever thought of it, do you find the idea of:

   Very Somewhat Somewhat Very unattractive unattractive attractive attractive

   1. Necking (deep kissing)b

3. What percentage of males do you think would find the following activities sexually arousing?

   1. Anal intercoursec

   2. Group sex

   3. Homosexual acts

   4. Armed robbery

   5. Bondage sex

   6. Whipping, spanking sex

   7. Rape

   8. Robbing a bank

   9. Forcing a female to do something sexual she really didn’t want to

   10. Killing someone

   11. Transvestism

   12. Sex with a child

   13. Being forced to do something sexual they didn’t want to

4. What percentage of females do you think would find the following activities sexually arousing?

   1. Anal intercoursed

5. How sexually arousing do you think you would find the following activities if you engaged in them (even if you have never actually engaged in them and never would)?

   Not arousing Very

   at all arousing

   1. Oral sexe

   2. Heterosexual intercourse

   3. Anal intercourse

   4. Homosexual acts

   5. Group sex

   6. Bondage sex

   7. Whipping, spanking sex

   8. Robbing a bank

   9. Raping a female

   10. Forcing a female to do something sexual she didn’t want to do

   11. Transvestism (wearing women’s sex)

   12. Being forced to do something sexual you didn’t want to do

   13. Sex with children

   14. Killing someone

6. If you were sure that no one would ever find out and that you’d never be punished for it, how likely would you be to do the following?

   Very Very unlikely likely

   1. Oral sexf

   2. Heterosexual intercourse

   3. Anal intercourse

   4. Homosexual acts

   5. Group sex

   6. Bondage sex

   7. Whipping, spanking sex

   8. Robbing a bank

   9. Raping a female

   10. Forcing a female to do something sexual she didn’t want to

   11. Transvestism (wearing women’s clothes)

   12. Sex with children

   13. Killing someone

   14. Selling illegal drugs

7. If your best male friend were assured that no one would find out and that he’d never be punished for it, how likely do you think he would be to do the following:

   Very Very unlikely likely

8. Approximately what percentage of your male friends, would you estimate, have done the following

   1. Oral sexg

   2. Anal intercourseh

   3. Group sex

   4. Homosexual acts

   5. Armed robbery

   6. Bondage sex

   7. Whipping, spanking sex

   8. Rape

   9. Robbing a bank

   10. Forcing a female to do something sexual she didn’t want to

   11. Killing someone

   12. Transvestism

   13. Sex with a child

   14. Being forced to do something sexual they didn’t want to Selling illegal drugs

How likely do you think it is that at some point in the future you might try to following activities?

Very Very unlikely likely

Thanks for your responses.

These items are followed by boxes under each of the response options, providing a place for the respondent to ✓ option chosen.

The same items as shown for Question 1 are repeated, with boxes under each of the four response options.

The response options are indicated by 11 boxes identified from 0% to 100%. The same items and response options as shown for #3 repeated. Seven boxes between the two anchors are provided for responses. Seven boxes between the two anchors are provided for responses.

The same items and response options as shown for Question 6 are repeated. The response options are indicated by 11 boxes identified from 0% to 100%. The same items and response options as shown for Question 6 are repeated.