The subjective meaning of sexual harassment and sexual assault perpetration: from the perspectives of self-identified perpetrators

Sammanfattning: This thesis explores male sexual assault and sexual harassment perpetration. The theoretical orientations were constituted of a theoretical synthesis of primarily Max Weber's theory of action, motivation and subjective meaning, and theoretical aspects of sensemaking. Four research questions were divided into two qualitative studies. Study 1 conducted a systematic review of a diverse field of the research literature on sexual harassment and sexual assault perpetration. The two objectives of study 1 were to explore what kinds of factors are associated with sexual harassment and sexual assault perpetration and what kinds of meanings the research literature attributes to perpetrators actions. The first objective of study 2 was constituted of a qualitative investigation of what kinds of subjective meanings selfidentified perpetrators attribute to their actions. Analysis relied on a hermeneutical interpretation of meaning. Empirical materials were obtained via asynchronous online inquiries and collection of confessional online posts authored by self-identified perpetrators. The second objective of study 2 was to explore in what ways factors associated with male sexual harassment and/or sexual assault perpetration against women affect the subjective meanings perpetrators' attribute to their actions. Findings from study 1 (research review) suggest that sexual misconduct is associated with factors stemming from individual (e.g. psychological characteristics), social (e.g. norms, attitudes and beliefs of how to act as a man), situational (e.g. alcohol intoxication's distortion of meaning and detrimental effect on judgement), communicative (e.g. misperception and misinterpretation of cues from women) and power-related (e.g. sexually harassing or assaulting as a means to obtain or to exert power) factors. Findings further suggest that the research literature attributes obtainment of sexual/physical gratification, exertion of power, will to power and obtainment of a perceived sense of control as primary meanings of perpetrators sexually coercive or harassing actions. Primary findings of study 2 highlight the complex nature of power and its central relation to sexual misconduct, where perpetrators attribute will to power, obtainment of sexual gratification, obtaining enjoyment from exerting power, and ideological subordination as the subjective meaning of their actions. Suggested further is that selfidentified perpetrators attribution of subjective meanings to their actions is characterized by a sensemaking practice of moral disengagement, where distortion of the meaning of sexually oriented actions through euphemistic labeling and perceiving sexually coercive behaviors as a form of game or play are central aspects. Lastly, analysis of the empirical materials in this study suggests that the subjective meanings these men attribute to their actions are associated with individual, socioculturally embedded, situational, communicative and power-related factors.