Rape Myth Acceptance as Networks of Discursive Expressions

For the last four decades, researchers have developed quantitative measures of the acceptance of rape myths – cultural tropes that justify sexual violence. From their initial conceptualization, rape myths were thought to exist at a cultural level and to contribute to a broader ideology supportive of sexual violence. However, prevailing statistical models of rape myth acceptance are inconsistent with this understanding. Here, I argue that rape myth acceptance can be conceptualized as a network of discursive expressions –a person’s current willingness to voice these cultural myths, not necessarily an indicator of any persistent belief. If so, network models should better represent rape myth acceptance than common cause models, and endorsements of rape myths may be unstable over time. Analyzing data from twelve previous studies (total N = 5,882), I find that (1) network models of rape myth acceptance generally outperform factor models; (2) rape myth acceptance positively correlates with instability over time; and (3) networks of rape myth acceptance are more strongly connected when related attitudes, such as sexism, are weaker. Using the empirically estimated network models, I propose a formal computational model and conduct simulations demonstrating the complex dynamics of rape myth expression over time. These empirical and simulation results are inconsistent with approaches that cast rape myth acceptance as persistent individual beliefs, are more consistent with a conceptualization of rape myth expression as motivated (rather than primarily cognitive) and suggest new avenues for research and practical interventions.