ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how psychology, from its entrance into the medical arena as a specialism of perversion, constructs sexual violence as a symptom of mental 'illness'. Stopping violence against women has been a significant campaign aim for the feminist movement, and sexual violence is a key area of feminist research. The feminism has given voice to the perspectives of women and highlighted the role of power and social inequality over theories of 'uncontrollable' sexual 'urges'. The word 'rape' is an emotive and contested term. It derives from the Latin rapere, meaning 'to seize' that was used in ancient Roman law to refer to abductions of women for the purposes of marriage without prior agreement with the parents. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is produced by the American Psychiatric Association but is used worldwide. As Psychopathia Sexualis was the most influential classification of perversions, the DSM is the most influential classification of mental illness.
