Modern Myths About Sexual Aggression (AMMSA) Scale

Abstract

The Modern Myths About Sexual Aggression (AMMSA) Scale is a specialized psychological instrument designed to measure the acceptance of subtle, contemporary justifications for sexual aggression. Developed initially in 2003 and formally validated by Gerger, Kley, Bohner, and Siebler in 2007, the scale moves beyond overt sexism to target nuanced beliefs that minimize perpetrator responsibility or rationalize aggressive sexual behavior, often under the guise of sociological or biological explanations.

Comprising 30 items, the AMMSA scale is structured to quantify endorsement across five distinct dimensions of modern myths. This design distinguishes it from earlier, more traditional measures of Rape Myth Acceptance. Research consistently indicates that these attitudes are prevalent, particularly within student populations, and acceptance levels are reliably reported as higher among male respondents compared to female respondents.

Keywords

Sexual aggression, Rape Myth Acceptance, AMMSA, college students, victim-blaming, attitude assessment, gender attitudes, sexual violence prevention.

Authors

H. Gerger, H. Kley, G. Bohner, F. Siebler.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the AMMSA Scale is to provide a rigorous and contemporary metric for assessing the degree to which individuals endorse subtly expressed myths concerning sexual aggression. By updating the focus from overt victim-blaming to modern, sophisticated rationalizations, the scale significantly enhances the precision and relevance of research within this critical domain.

The scale serves as an essential diagnostic and evaluative tool for researchers, educators, and mental health professionals. It is specifically intended to identify problematic attitudinal patterns that may contribute to aggressive behaviors or create resistance to prevention and intervention programs. Data derived from the AMMSA are crucial for developing targeted educational strategies aimed at mitigating the acceptance of harmful societal beliefs and fostering safer environments, particularly in university settings where dating and sexual norms are actively being formed.

Construct

The AMMSA Scale measures the psychological construct defined as the acceptance of modern myths about sexual aggression. This construct encompasses widely held societal beliefs that function to rationalize, excuse, or deny the existence of sexual aggression, or minimize the psychological and physical impact on victims. The term “modern” emphasizes that these myths are framed in ways that often circumvent obvious sexism, instead utilizing arguments related to biological necessity, miscommunication, or victim culpability to shift responsibility away from the perpetrator.

The scale’s 30 items are designed to capture endorsement across five specific, theoretically derived dimensions that collectively represent this modern justification framework. These five core dimensions, or myths, are:

• Women are responsible for preventing sexual assault.
• Men are not responsible for controlling their sexual urges.
• Women who dress provocatively are asking to be assaulted.
• Men cannot be sexually assaulted.
• Sexual assault is a sign of male strength.

Validity

The 2007 validation study by Gerger et al. confirmed strong psychometric properties for the AMMSA Scale in both German and English language versions. Construct validity was robustly supported through the application of Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), which demonstrated that the 30 items successfully loaded onto the hypothesized five-factor structure, confirming that the scale measures the distinct dimensions of modern myths as intended.

Furthermore, convergent validity was established by showing expected positive correlations between AMMSA scores and established measures of related constructs, such as hostile sexism and older, traditional measures of Rape Myth Acceptance. Discriminant validity was also confirmed, ensuring that the AMMSA scores were sufficiently distinct from general measures of confounding variables, such as social desirability or general political conservatism, thus verifying that the scale specifically targets attitudes related to sexual aggression justifications.

Reliability

The AMMSA Scale demonstrates consistently high levels of internal consistency. Reliability analyses, typically reported using Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients, consistently yield strong results (often exceeding 0.80 for the total scale) across validation samples. This high internal consistency indicates that the items within the scale reliably measure the single underlying construct of modern myth acceptance.

The reliability also extends effectively to the five individual subscales, suggesting that each specific myth dimension is measured coherently by its respective set of items. Additionally, validation studies have confirmed acceptable Test-retest reliability, demonstrating that the scale produces stable scores over time. This stability makes the AMMSA a robust instrument suitable for longitudinal research examining attitude persistence and change following interventions.

Factor Analysis

The initial development and subsequent validation of the AMMSA Scale centrally relied on Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) methodology. The CFA was employed to test the theoretically derived five-factor structure corresponding to the distinct modern myths about sexual aggression.

The results of the CFA provided empirical evidence supporting the hypothesized structure, confirming that the 30 items distribute reliably across the five theoretical dimensions. Crucially, the analysis showed that the items did not collapse into a single general factor, thereby providing essential psychometric support for the theoretical differentiation of these contemporary justifications for sexual aggression.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological instrument (Attitude measure)

Format: 30 items rated on a 7-point Likert scale.

Language Available: German and English.

Population Group: Non-clinical population (Primarily college students).

Age Group: Late adolescence to young adulthood (Typically 18–25 years).

Population Details: The scale was originally validated on samples of university students in both Germany and the United States of America.

Test Methodology: Respondents are asked to indicate their level of agreement with each statement, utilizing the 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (completely disagree) to 7 (completely agree).

Keywords

Attitude measurement, psychological assessment, sexual violence prevention, gender norms, Likert scale, hostile sexism, psychometrics.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source.

Correspondence Address: Correspondence regarding the scale and its application is generally directed toward the lead author, H. Gerger, based on the original publication details.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: The initial development of the scale occurred in 2003, with the formal validation study published in 2007.

Permissions and Fee: The Modern Myths About Sexual Aggression (AMMSA) Scale is typically available for non-commercial academic research purposes. Prospective users, particularly those seeking formal scoring keys or large-scale implementation, should consult the lead authors for explicit permissions regarding use and specific scoring procedures.

Reference’s

Gerger, H., Kley, H., Bohner, G., & Siebler, F. (2007). The Acceptance of Modern Myths About Sexual Aggression (AMMSA) Scale: Development and validation in German and English. Aggressive Behavior, 33, 422-440.

The original PDF of the instrument, including the scoring method and validation details, can be downloaded here: http://www.midss.org/sites/default/files/ammsaenglish.pdf.

Further information and resources related to the scale are available at: http://www.midss.org/content/acceptance-modern-myths-about-sexual-aggression-ammsa-scale.

Items of the Modern Myths About Sexual Aggression (AMMSA) Scale

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

1. When it comes to sexual contacts‚ women expect men to take the lead / Wenn es zu sexuellem Kontakt kommt‚ erwarten Frauen‚ dass der Mann die Führung übernimmt

2. Once a man and a woman have started “making out”‚ a woman’s misgivings against sex will automatically disappear / Wenn ein Mann und eine Frau erst einmal “angefangen” haben‚ verlieren sich die Bedenken der Frau gegen Sex von selbst.

3. A lot of women strongly complain about sexual infringements for no real reason‚ just to appear emancipated / Viele Frauen beschweren sich schon aus nichtigem Anlass lautstark über sexuelle Übergriffe‚ nur um als emanzipiert zu gelten.

4. To get custody for their children‚ women often falsely accuse their ex-husband of a tendency towards sexual violence / Um das Sorgerecht für die Kinder zu bekommen‚ unterstellen Frauen ihrem Ex-Ehemann gerne zu Unrecht einen Hang zu sexueller Gewalt.

5. Interpreting harmless gestures as “sexual harassment” is a popular weapon in the battle of the sexes / Harmlose Gesten als “sexuelle Belästigung” auszulegen ist eine beliebte Waffe im Kampf der Geschlechter.

6. It is a biological necessity for men to release sexual pressure from time to time / Bei Männern ist es biologisch bedingt‚ dass sie von Zeit zu Zeit sexuellen Druck ablassen müssen.

7. After a rape‚ women nowadays receive ample support / Nach einer Vergewaltigung erhalten Frauen heutzutage Unterstützung von allen Seiten.

8. Nowadays‚ a large proportion of rapes is partly caused by the depiction of sexuality in the media as this raises the sex drive of potential perpetrators / Ein Großteil der Vergewaltigungen wird heutzutage durch die Darstellung von Sexualität in den Medien mitverursacht‚ da diese den Sexualtrieb potentieller Täter weckt.

9. If a woman invites a man to her home for a cup of coffee after a night out this means that she wants to have sex / Wenn eine Frau einen Mann nach dem Discobesuch auf eine Tasse Kaffee in ihre Wohnung einlädt‚ dann ist sie auf ein sexuelles Abenteuer aus.

10. As long as they don’t go too far‚ suggestive remarks and allusions simply tell a woman that she is attractive / Solange sie im Rahmen bleiben‚ sagen Anzüglichkeiten und Anspielungen einer Frau einfach nur‚ dass sie attraktiv ist.

11. Any woman who is careless enough to walk through “dark alleys” at night is partly to be blamed if she is raped / Wer als Frau so unvorsichtig ist‚ nachts durch „dunkle Gassen“ zu gehen‚ trägt eine gewisse Mitschuld an der eigenen Vergewaltigung.

12. When a woman starts a relationship with a man‚ she must be aware that the man will assert his right to have sex / Wenn eine Frau mit einem Mann eine Beziehung eingeht‚ muss sie sich darüber im Klaren sein‚ dass der Mann sein Recht auf Sex einfordern wird.

13. Most women prefer to be praised for their looks rather than their intelligence / Die meisten Frauen möchten lieber für ihr Aussehen gelobt werden als für ihre Intelligenz.

14. Because the fascination caused by sex is disproportionately large‚ our society’s sensitivity to crimes in this area is disproportionate as well / Weil Sex an sich eine unverhältnismäßig große Faszination ausübt‚ ist unsere Gesellschaft für Straftaten in diesem Bereich auch unverhältnismäßig sensibel.

15. Women like to play coy. This does not mean that they do not want sex / Frauen zieren sich gerne. Das bedeutet nicht‚ dass sie keinen Sex wollen.

16. Many women tend to exaggerate the problem of male violence / Viele Frauen neigen dazu‚ das Problem der Männergewalt zu übertreiben.

17. When a man urges his female partner to have sex‚ this cannot be called rape / Wenn ein Mann seine Partnerin zum Sex drängt‚ kann man das nicht Vergewaltigung nennen.

18. When a single woman invites a single man to her flat she signals that she is not averse to ha‎ving sex / Wenn eine alleinstehende Frau einen alleinstehenden Mann in ihre Wohnung einlädt‚ zeigt sie damit‚ dass sie sexuellen Aktivitäten nicht abgeneigt ist.

19. When politicians deal with the topic of rape‚ they do so mainly because this topic is likely to attract the attention of the media / Wenn Politiker/innen sich mit dem Thema Vergewaltigung beschäftigen‚ dann vor allem deshalb‚ weil dieses Thema ihnen die Aufmerksamkeit der Medien garantiert.

20. When defining “marital rape”‚ there is no clear-cut distinction between normal conjugal intercourse and rape / Bei der Definition von “Vergewaltigung in der Ehe” gibt es keine klare Grenze zwischen normalem ehelichen Geschlechtsverkehr und Vergewaltigung.

21. A man’s sexuality functions like a steam boiler – when the pressure gets to high‚ he has to “let off steam” / Die Sexualität des Mannes funktioniert wie ein Dampfkessel – wenn der Druck zu groß wird‚ muss er einfach “Dampf ablassen”.

22. Women often accuse their husbands of marital rape just to retaliate for a failed relationship / Frauen bezichtigen ihre Männer häufig einer Vergewaltigung in der Ehe‚ um sich für eine gescheiterte Beziehung zu rächen.

23. The discussion about sexual harassment on the job has mainly resulted in many a harmless behavior being misinterpreted as harassment / Die Diskussion über sexuelle Belästigung am Arbeitsplatz hat vor allem dazu geführt‚ dass manches harmlose Verhalten jetzt als Belästigung missverstanden wird.

24. In dating situations the general expectation is that the woman “hits the brakes” and the man “pushes ahead” / Beim Kennenlernen entspricht es der allgemeinen Erwartung‚ dass die Frau “bremst” und der Mann “Gas gibt”.

25. Although the victims of armed robbery have to fear for their lives‚ they receive far less psychological support than do rape victims / Obwohl die Opfer bewaffneter Raubüberfälle um ihr Leben fürchten müssen‚ erhalten sie wesentlich weniger psychologische Unterstützung als Vergewaltigungsopfer.

26. Alcohol is often the culprit when a man rapes a woman / Wenn Männer vergewaltigen‚ ist oft der Alkohol schuld.

27. Many women tend to misinterpret a well-meant gesture as a “sexual assault” / Viele Frauen neigen dazu‚ eine nett gemeinte Geste zum “sexuellen Übergriff” hochzuspielen.

28. Nowadays‚ the victims of sexual violence receive sufficient help in the form of women’s shelters‚ therapy offers‚ and support groups / Für die Opfer sexueller Gewalt wird heutzutage durch Frauenhäuser‚ Therapieangebote und Selbsthilfegruppen schon genug getan.

29. Instead of worrying about alleged victims of sexual violence society should rather attend to more urgent problems‚ such as environmental destruction / Anstatt sich um angebliche Opfer sexueller Gewalt zu kümmern‚ sollte sich die Gesellschaft eher dringenderen Problemen widmen‚ wie zum Beispiel Umweltzerstörung.

30. Nowadays‚ men who really sexually assault women are punished justly / Heutzutage werden Männer‚ die Frauen wirklich sexuell belästigen‚ auch gerecht bestraft.

Scoring Key (7-point Likert Scale):

• 1 = completely disagree
• 2 = disagree
• 3 = disagree somewhat
• 4 = neutral
• 5 = agree somewhat
• 6 = agree
• 7= completely agree